Flaxy Martin (1949)

Directed by Richard Bare; produced by Saul Elkins

Walter Colby (Zachary Scott) is a mob lawyer who wants out of his job. His boss, Hap Richie (Douglas Kennedy), isn’t pleased about it; neither is Colby’s girlfriend, Flaxy (Virginia Mayo), who enjoys the money Colby makes, but is also two-timing him with Richie. Together, that pair set out to punish Colby by setting him up for murder. But Colby isn’t a successful gangland fixer for nothing: he’s smart, and now he’s angry, and when he escapes from custody, he has vengeance on his mind.

The preceding short synopsis of Flaxy Martin makes it sounds rather routine, and in some ways it is. Certainly for the first third of its running time, it is just marginally interesting. But in the second reel, things improve, and the film becomes an enjoyable revenge-tale with plenty happening.

Despite Mayo’s top billing, and her character’s name as the film’s title, the story really centres on Scott. He’s a very watchable actor, and teeming him with Dorothy Malone, as someone who takes a chance on helping Colby, creates good chemistry and propels the second half of the movie.

This is not to write Mayo off. She portrays her character very well, though the amoral femme fatale probably wasn’t a stretch for her by this time. (In the same year as Flaxy Martin, she portrayed James Cagney’s girlfriend in White Heat, and was in three other films.) Flaxy is the catalyst for events and, though there are hints that she has a conscience – somewhere very deep down – there is really nothing to prevent viewers from wanting her to get her just desserts. And a solid portrayal of the title personality is needed for the story.

The story itself is pretty good, after, as was mentioned, the first third. Events might cause the viewer to wonder how smart Colby is – at one point, he implicates himself in a murder to help Flaxy – but if he didn’t doubt his girl’s fidelity, there would be less reason to question his intelligence. Even so, Colby’s folly is a flaw.

The script in general is better than the dialogue, which is largely bland. The characters are well-drawn, though the fact that they are also not really well-defined does not work against the story. Malone’s Nora Carson is a bit of a mystery, wholesome and seemingly the stay-at-home type, yet going from job to job, place to place. Her past is deliberately kept shaded, and it works. Elisha Cook Jr, like Mayo, plays a character he was accustomed to playing, and, like Mayo’s, he makes the viewer want him to get his.

One of the disadvantages of Flaxy Martin is that it looks cheap. Despite the trio of leads and a couple of well-respected supporting players, the sets are generic and sparse, all of the exterior urban scenes being shot on a lot. As well, the direction is mediocre, and the use of music is awkward (eg. sentimental tunes while Flaxy is double-crossing someone is likely not meant to be ironic.)

All in all, however, Flaxy Martin is a good film noir; nothing to watch a second time, but entertaining, with a satisfying ending.