He wasn't a criminal; he was just working for a phone company. . . - The film is a typical noir: black and white, stingy shooting, contrasting darkness and light, cute (in general) negative protagonist, beloved woman & #39; on your mind & #39;. Overall, of course, nothing special. But there are a few moments that allow you to watch the film with interest.
First of all, this is a criminal area - bookmakers, betting, streams of money, merging from small streams into large profits. (For a detailed acquaintance with the business, it is useful to see ' Peaky Blinders'.) A West Coast syndicate extending its power to the East. 'Gangster Squad' - 'Gangster Division' Police: as such, there is not much investigation, but the police are constantly ' in the know'.
The main character Mel Granger (Edmond O’Brien) works in the telephone company and is well versed in technical intricacies and novelties. No money, no career. He begins to provide advice to bookmakers, equips them with advanced means of communication, which allows you to radically increase the profitability of the business & # 39; on bets. Granger does not stop at technical advice and gradually takes over the East Coast betting. He is extremely cruel, purposeful, careful and cautious.
The West Coast Syndicate is interested in him and is gradually squeezing the business. A love story, a murder order, a murderer's murder, in short. Granger goes into all seriousness - and this leads him to a tragic end.
But that’s not the main thing in the film. At least for me. It is interesting to see how progress penetrates into all areas of human activity, and the more successful the more resources are allocated for its implementation. Well, gangsters are in terms of progress on top, the opposition to them clearly does not hold up. The technical details of Granger devices are disassembled in quite detail, it is quite fascinating to observe their use.
In addition, in the movies we will see the Hoover Dam - (Hoover Dam, Boulder Dam): one of the largest and probably the most famous dam in the United States. It is built on the border of Nevada and Arizona in a narrow Black Canyon formed by the Colorado River. The Hoover Dam is not only a major hydroelectric power plant, but also a major component of the reclamation and flood protection system in the southwestern United States. We will be given an informative tour against the background of the pursuit of the killer.
An interesting warning: how the creators of the film were hunted by gangsters and in every possible way prevented his shooting. It is difficult to say how true this is: after 'Fargo' with his 'This is a true story' to the concept 'Truth' Begin to be treated with caution; perhaps it was, and perhaps - a cunning advertising ploy, anticipating 'Fargo' However, there is a clear anti-betting message in the film: your $2 feeds the gangster octopus - there's no arguing. The film is very relevant in this regard, when advertising bookmakers overflowed the air of sports programs. In this regard, we repeat the path of Western civilization - however, with a long lag.
A few words about Edmond O’Brien: he reminded me vividly of Raymond Burr’s Perry Mason. Essentially, 'Perry Mason'—somewhere also noir—especially in the early series (not in color).
I am not objective: I like noir - there is a special charm of infinity, ambivalence, blurring of Good and Evil - and even some regret.
'711 Ocean Drive' - good noir with a positive humanistic message. Yes, you can find a film more interesting and representative, so you should not search specifically. But if you do, look, you won’t regret it.
7 out of 10