Kansas City Confidential [Film Detective Restored Version] [Blu-ray]

Overview

Kansas City Confidential, Phil Karlson's low (low) budget, B-grade film noir, opens on a Kansas City armored-car robbery perpetrated by cynical, corrupt ex-policeman Timothy Foster (Preston S. Foster). Foster devises an outrageous scheme: he will recruit three of the most vicious and unrelenting criminals he can find (screen heavies Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and Neville Brand) to undertake a robbery, blackmailing them into the heist with incriminating evidence from other "jobs." As an eccentric and clever conceit, Foster forces each of the perpetrators to wear masks, thus concealing their identities from one another and preventing the old pitfall of the men squealing and backstabbing. The heist comes off without a scratch, but a complication arises when the ignorant cops pick up an unrelated fellow, Joe Rolfe (John Payne) for his ownership of a van similar to the one used in the caper. In time, Rolfe is cleared, but he grows irate over the accusations and sets off to find Foster and co. and teach them a lesson. He finally happens upon one of the perpetrators in Mexico, beats him nearly to death, and assumes the victim's identity - and that's when things really get complicated. Though produced under the Hays Code censorship regulations, Kansas City Confidential constituted one of the most brutal and violent crime pictures made up through that time; as such, it retains historical significance. It also claims a strong cult following.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/25/2016
UPC:	0818522014586
Original Release:	1952
Rating:	NR
Source:	Film Detective
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	28,618

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Payne	Joe Rolfe
Coleen Gray	Helen
Preston Foster	Actor,Player,Timothy Foster
Lee Van Cleef	Tony
Dona Drake	Teresa
Jack Elam	Harris
Neville Brand	Kane
Mario Siletti	Timaso
Howard Negley	Andrews
Ted Ryan	Morelli
George Wallace	Olson
Vivi Janiss	Mr. Rogers
Helen Kleeb	Mrs. Crane
Kay Wiley	Woman
Harry Hines	News Vendor
Don Orlando	Diaz
Al Hill	Shooter
Mike Lally	Shooter
Charles Sullivan	Player,Police
Carlos Rivero	Player
Sam Scar	Player
Barry Brooks	Player
Joey Ray	Houseman,Houseman
Paul Hogan	Bouncer
Paul Dubov	Eddie
Ric Roman	Brother
Sam Pierce	Workman
Eduardo Coch	Airline Clerk
William Haade	Detective Barney
Charles Cane	Detective Mullins
Ray Bennett	Prisoner
Orlando Beltran	Porter
Carleton Young	Assistant District Atty. Martin
Phil Tead	Collins
Lee Phelps	Jailer
Archie Twitchell	Police
House Peters Jr.	Police
George Dockstader	Police
Don House	Police
Jack Shea	Police
Tom Dillon	Police
Tom Greenway	Police
Paul Fierro	Police
Charles Sherlock	Stickman
Frank Scannell	Stickman
Thomas P. Dillon	Actor
Paul Sawtell	Composer

Technical Credits

Harry Essex

George Bruce

Rowland Brown

Harry J. Essex

Phil Karlson	Director
Edward Small	Producer
Harry Essex	Screenwriter
George Bruce	Screenwriter
Rowland Brown	Screenwriter
Harry J. Essex	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Kansas City Confidential's B-movie roots are abundantly clear, but that doesn't keep it from being an effective little excursion into the world of film noir. Indeed, in some strange way, its cheapness adds to its effectiveness; its protagonist, after all, is a cheap ex-con who has to get by on his wits and his fists, in the same way that director Phil Karlson had to use his limited resources. And both the protagonist and Karlson are fully committed to getting what they aim for, even when they aren't 100 percent sure what it is. The screenplay has a great heist gimmick, a clever premise that sets everything in motion; but too soon, it starts stretching credibility, and a lot of the twists and doubling back seems to be there because the writers didn't know what else to do rather than because they were what the story specifically needed. Karlson doesn't care, though; if part of the plot is a little contrived, he just employs one of his trademark super close-ups to invest it with supposed meaning. If a confrontation lacks a little sense, he frames those involved in such a way as to emphasize the power struggle and force some sense into the scene. Karlson's cast helps, with great bad guy turns from the likes of Preston S. Foster and Lee Van Cleef and a terribly appealing good girl job from the stunning Coleen Gray. John Payne, in the lead, is the question mark, as he tends toward the bland; but his work here is solid, and the very fact that he has no established screen persona keeps us guessing about what he's up to and whether he'll succeed. Kansas City Confidential's flaws keep it from being a classic, but it's a lot of fun.