Crashout (1955)

posted by Jay M.

Crashoutmight come as a surprise to crime film fans or noir enthusiasts who pick it up, expecting a routine mid-50s B movie. For one thing, it's feature-length (89 minutes), and doesn't skimp much on plot and character development. Director Lewis R. Foster was probably pretty adept at action/adventure pictures, judging by titles in his IMDb filmography. Crashout was probably just another assignment to him, but the film shows he was no hack. It's a foregone conclusion that a Hollywood movie won't let criminals get away unpunished, but a superior example like this makes the fate of its players more meaningful with good actors and intelligent writing. Foster keeps things moving nicely, once past the fairly talky first scene in the cave. The film never lags once after that, because there is plenty of action, and characters are given enough depth to differentiate them and keep them interesting.

Arthur Kennedy appears to be the main protagonist here. His Joe Quinn represents the typical redeemed-too-late criminal (who had been jailed for robbery). The actor invests Quinn with plenty of believability, especially in his interactions with Beverly Michaels (an odd, rather glamorous choice for a farm resident, but she is effective). William Bendix plays another of his dumb thugs to perfection, this time never letting up and with no redemption in sight. In Luther Adler's Mendoza we see more evidence of this great actor's talent, making a good deal out of what could have been a stereotyped cypher. Gene Evans, another prolific actor, is allowed to show two sides to his Monk Collins, intimidating one moment, and teaching card tricks to a hostage child the next. Also interesting is Marshall Thompson--a performer who may have never really gotten his due--as the 'nice young man gone wrong'. Thompson really stands out in the very good sequence involving the young woman he meets on the train. Gloria (I Married a Monster From Outer Space) Talbot is nicely cast in this sequence. Last, and far from least, is William Talman (The Hitch-Hiker, Armored Car Robbery), as Remsen, a lapsed reverend, who obsessively plays the same record over and over, as though it were a final vestige of goodness in his life.

In smaller roles we get a nice, but brief, dose of inimitable Percy Helton, playing a country doctor called out in the middle of the night, and who pays a hefty price for his professionalism. Also of note, Adam Williams (memorable as Larry Gordon in The Big Heat two years earlier) in the role of Michaels's heroic date. And there's Morris Ankrum, as the head guard in the crashout scene.

Another interesting aspect of this film is the question of its place in the so-called 'Noir Canon'. Is this a film noir? In the strictest terms, probably not (although the designation is more subjective than many want to admit.) It has enough of the typical elements for some to see it as noir. But its 'existential' qualities may be disputable. This usually refers to a sense of isolation experienced by, typically, a single protagonist: he or she feels trapped in an uncaring universe, forced to proceed alone, resorting perhaps to uncharacteristic methods for survival. The escaped convicts in Crashout don't really fit this profile. They are already immersed in crime. However, there is a strong sense in this film of over-arching fatalism: we all know, the escapees and the viewer, that they are trapped by their actions, that there will be no true escape. So at this level, the film can be seen as belonging to the 'noir universe'. Whatever category it fits into, Crashout is a riveting corker of a movie not to be missed.