The Killer Is Loose

source: The Killer Is Loose

Trailer—The Killer Is Loose

The Killer Is Loose

This is the kind of movie that was on the second half of double-bills my father took me to when I was a child. I always gravitated toward these, which he would try to leave, as we'd come for the bigger, newer, in-color feature. The sense of impending doom hanging over "The Killer Is Loose" is, as the saying goes, as contemporary as today's headlines. Here we have one person bent on revenge. In May of 2002 it's terrorism on a much larger scale, alas.

Years have past since Detective Sam Wagner(Joseph Cotton)brought bank robber Leon 'Foggy' Poole(Wendell Corey)to justice and in the crossfire accidentally killed the crook's wife. When the once mild mannered convict escapes jail, he is crazed with just one thing on his mind and it is to get revenge by killing Wagner's wife Lila(Rhonda Fleming). The cops want 'Foggy' back behind bars and the idea comes up to use the beautiful Lila as bait. Wagner is not happy with the situation and is stressed with protecting his wife. Corey is at his best in this role. Fleming proves her acting abilities in this Film-Noir. The usual stoic Cotton actually has emotions. The supporting cast includes: Alan Hale Jr., John Larch, John Beradino, Dee J. Thompson, Michael Pate and Don Beddoe.

During a shootout with the police, Leon "Foggy" Poole (Wendell Corey) loses his wife in the hail of bullets. Captured and imprisoned, Poole bides his time until making good his escape. He then sets out to find the man he holds responsible for his wife's death. Now, Detective Sam Wagner (Joseph Cotten) must protect himself and his pregnant wife Lila (Rhonda Fleming) from the vengeful Corey. THE KILLER IS LOOSE is a wonderful crime thriller with lots of tension and a memorable finale. Cotten is his usual, dependable self. His Det. Wagner -somewhat- foreshadows Gregory Peck's Sam Bowden character in CAPE FEAR. One thing that sets this movie apart from other, similar films is the quiet, low-key demeanor of the bespectacled antagonist. Corey underplays the role, making Poole far more frightening than he would have been as some raving maniac! Highly recommended...

The Killer is Loose (1956) The first hour of this movie is really tight, very believable, nicely low key but still with some narrative excitement. Joseph Cotten is very good, and if the filming is straight forward, it's effective all the same. Then the last twenty minutes come along and what is supposed to be high drama (very intense stuff) is just so clumsy and fake you can't believe it's the same movie. That, in a nutshell, is what will strike you. There are some elements of a cop being loyal to his job and the cop's wife not liking being a cop's wife. And the bad buy, a weirdly detached and offbeat killer, is played to perfection by Wendell Corey. There's even a cross dressing moment at the end which is fun and almost high camp. But now I'm dredging for dollars. Enjoy the ride, but don't expect too too much.

Wendell Corey is superb in this. He's scary in the title role. In some ways, the costume or prop department deserves a lot of credit, because the glasses he wears makes him seem bland yet steady and menacing. Joseph Cotten and Rhonda Fleming are not convincing cast as a cop and pregnant wife. Ms. Fleming seems ready to burst out of some of her costumes; but not in areas where babies are carried. Both are good, though. John Larch and Dee J. Thompson are a c couple in the killer's path who are extremely hard to find sympathetic -- as unappealing the script calls for them to be. Everyone is good in this frightening noir.

Watching "A Killer is Loose" it's not hard to see how Budd Boetticher garnered a reputation as one of the top B movie directors. With the limited resources allotted to the makers of B movies, not to mention the casting of often second rate actors, a lot of skill went into creating the few B movies which have endured. Boetticher gets good performances from leads Joseph Cotton and Wendell Corey (not strictly B movie actors) as well a surprisingly convincing Rhonda Fleming. The work of veteran cinematographer Lucien Ballard contributes much to the success of this taut, well written thriller. While not a classic, its remains a fine example of its genre and worth a look.

"The Killer is Loose" is a 1956 B film directed by Budd Boetticher, and it's pretty good. It stars Wendell Corey as Leon Poole, a man who is working in a bank when a robbery occurs. It doesn't take long for the police to determine that he's the inside man. They go to his house to arrest him, and he refuses to answer the door, shooting through it. The police break in, the lights are off, and Detective Wagner (Joseph Cotten) sees a form emerging from the bedroom and shoots, killing Poole's wife. When Poole is sentenced, he promises to pay Wagner back for killing her. I've never understood what happened to Joseph Cotten's career, but by the '50s, he was appearing in B movies after being part of so many important films in the '40s. He's good in this, as is the beautiful Rhonda Fleming, who plays his wife. Corey is excellent as Poole, a disturbed man with a flat affect; he never knew any happiness until he got married and goes crazy when his wife is taken from him. Good noir.