The Crooked Way (1949)

Directed by Robert Florey; produced by Benedict Bogeaus

Eddie Rice (John Payne) suffered a head-wound in the war and, even after physical and mental recovery, has no recollection of his past, beyond his army service. His records show that he enlisted in Los Angeles, so he returns there, hoping that familiar surroundings and possible encounters will resurrect his memories. They do, but not in the way Eddie wants, and soon he is in trouble with the police, gangsters and a woman (Ellen Drew) who may be his wife.

An amnesia victim searching for his previous life is a good concept, and always has the potential for a entertaining story. An example that worked its potential into a winning reality is Somewhere in the Night, which came out three years prior to The Crooked Way, and which was reviewed on this blog in July, 2019. The earlier film had, however, Joseph L Mankiewicz and Lee Strasberg involved and, though dramatic, included light touches that helped. The Crooked Way has none of that.

The Crooked Way begins with Rice going to Los Angeles, hoping to meet someone whom he had previously known. He does. In fact, he meets two of them even as he exits the railway station. Later that day, he is leaving police headquarters when he is recognized by a woman who happens to be in the pawn shop directly across the street. Even accounting for the compression of time necessary in most movies, this strikes one as unrealistic.

The plot provides few surprises; indeed, Eddie’s past, except for one or two aspects, is swiftly revealed, and what isn’t shown overtly can be guessed by the viewer. There are some inexplicable developments, such as when the principal villain, Vince Alexander (Sonny Tufts), has Eddie beaten, though he has - as villains’ thinking goes - sufficient reason to kill him. Even Eddie wonders why Vince didn’t finish him off. The question is never answered. At one point, Vince does frame Eddie for a murder, though that possibility did not occur until after Eddie’s beating.

The players are adequate. Payne was somewhat of a minor star in film noir though, ironically he is probably best recalled - or at least most often seen - as the lawyer in the very un-noirish Miracle on 34th Street. He is variously tough, confused, defiant and dismissive in The Crooked Way, but it is not an outstanding performance. Tufts does well as Vince but, again, there is nothing extraordinary about his work.

Director Florey’s career may be noted more for its longevity than its results. He started directing in his twenties (he is credited with three shorts in 1920) and slipped straight into the new medium of television thirty years later. In between, a few of his movies might have been hits, but most appear to have been standard programmers. There is nothing of note in The Crooked Way’s direction, though the cinematography by John Alton is better.

Though not a bad movie, The Crooked Way isn’t a good one, either. It is a standard crime-story from the era when every second film seemed to be a crime-story.