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• Not a classic movie, but classic performances

  • kom
  • 6/8/08

  The world is populated with finely crafted black-and- white films that suggest "noir" without fully fitting the definition, and it's time these movies got their due. "I Walk Alone" is one of them. It's not as good as "I Wake Up Screaming," another poorly titled film in this genre, but it holds up better and is less far-fetched than "The Damned Don't Cry," which has been released on DVD. Every single performance -- from a club doorman to second-rate hoods to a certain wealthy female patron -- is first rate, and as usual Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, two lifelong friends and acting rivals, bring out the best of each other. The plot is predictable (and wanes as the movie drags on), but the dialogue, cinematography and soundtrack combine to make "I Walk Alone" better than it should be. Lizabeth Scott, the poor man's you-know-who, gives a particularly mature performance here, with her style and acting finally matching the role she is given. Wendell Corey, at his world-weary best, may give the best performance of all in this film, as an accountant who's lost his soul and sense of loyalty.

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