Cry Vengeance

source: Cry Vengeance

Cry Vengeance

Mark Stevens both stars in and directed this movie. He plays a cop who just gets out of jail after being framed for corruption and is determined to kill the gangster he thinks responsible for framing him and for killing his wife and child. His search takes him to Ketchikan, Alaska; the aerial shots of the town are brief but quite beautiful. The supporting cast is strong and includes such familiar faces as Douglas Kennedy, John Doucette, Skip Homeier, and Mort Mills. Martha Hyer really doesn't have much to do as Stevens' new love interest. Skip Homeier with his bleached blond hair is okay as the psychotic killer but not a particularly interesting character. Unfortunately, Mark Stevens' performance is too wooden - we should feel some sympathy for a man who has been so unjustly treated by life but we don't, at least not at an emotional level. For those liking crime dramas, this is certainly worth a watch but is pretty average for the genre.

Mark Stevens was terrific in the earlier (and truer) noir, Dark Corner (1946), with not only the young Lucille Ball but also a masterful one- handed Martini pour. Cry of Vengeance, with Stevens in the main role and also directing, has promise but falls back on a dozen clichés: knocking out a tough guy with one sucker punch; confessing everything to a bartender; the ex-con revealing tenderness to a little kid with a broken doll; a character named Joey; and plenty of bleach blinds (Martha Hyer is, however, excellent). The sets, with flimsy doors and unconvincing wainscoting, are cheesy. Early on you'll note poor dubbing when an outdoor scene couldn't be miked. And Stevens is unrelentingly grim, evidently following his own direction that it wasn't necessary to allow nuances o show through. You could have directed and scripted a better version, and I'll state here that I could as well. Be sure to catch Dark Corner, with its fine performance from Clifton Webb of Laura fame.

I can't say this was a great film, nor can I recommend it to anyone who does not have a familiarity with Ketchikan, Alaska, where it was filmed. Without a tender place in your heart for Alaska's first city, this film will probably not seem too keen to you. But, if you have lived in Ketchikan for any length of time it is a lot of fun to see your hometown as it was nearly 50 years ago. I know this excludes most everyone out there, but hey, I am not recommending it to most everyone. If you know and love Ketchikan, check it out, you will get a kick out of it. Otherwise, skip it.

Well, me being a resident of Ketchikan, Alaska my entire life, am amazed. I just watched this film about 2 weeks ago, and I think it was awesome. The areal shots of the town are really neat. Now, of course, the city has changed quite abit, but its still neat to see historic Ketchikan in a great film. For those of whom that have seen this movie, the house that it was shot in just recently burned down. That was sad, because obviously it was a very historic house. I would suggest that everyone see this film. It was awesomely filmed, and it is very entertaining. Also, if you are ever in the Ketchikan area, hit it up! Anyway, thats all I have to say.

Mark Sevens stars and directs this crime drama. After angering mobsters, police officer Vic Barron(Stevens)is framed for a crime he didn't commit. The worse part is suffering the tragedy of his wife and child being murdered. After serving his time, Barron is determined to seek revenge on one man in particular, Tino Morelli(Douglas Kennedy), who helped put him behind bars. When have you seen Film Noir set in Alaska? Barron is blind to everything but getting vengeance and he travels to a remote town in Alaska. Ketchikan is where the mild mannered Vic is sure he'll find his man and settle the score. CRY VENGEANCE may seem a bit off beat; sometimes making it hard to tell the difference between good and bad. The plot is sustainable and even miles and miles of snow look good. Rounding out the cast are: Martha Hyer, Cheryl Callaway, Mort Mills, Don Haggerty and John Doucette.

This is a late entry in the film noir genre and maybe helped ruin this wonderful type of film. This was just too boring, too melodramatic for a good noir. It starts off fine but cools off - no pun intended - shortly after "Vic Barron" (Mark Stevens) arrives in Alaska. We see the slow transformation of a hard-nose vengeful man into a decent guy. At least I liked the Alaskan scenery. Who doesn't? Actually, the villain "Roxey Davis" (Skip Homeier) was somewhat cool with this strange blonde head of hair. The women, led by Martha Hyer, were decent to watch, too. However, an 83- minute film, especially with good villains and good scenery - shouldn't lag this much.