Phil karlsons low budget, bgrade film noir, opens on a kansas city armoredcar robbery perpetrated by cynical, corrupt expoliceman timothy foster. Kansas city confidential 1952 was another effective noir, with john payne well cast as an exconvict seeking retribution after nearly being framed for an armed robbery. The four men, having worn masks during the crime, are complete strangers and are anonymous to one another, but plan to meet. Viewing it many years later left me stunned that such a great b film could be made in 1952, looking so fresh and new, especially when compared against the current videogame action crap that were forced to digest. Indeed, in some strange way, its cheapness adds to its effectiveness. Kansas city confidential 1952 john payne, coleen gray, lee. Kansas city confidential is a 1952 american film noir and crime film directed by phil karlson starring john payne and coleen gray. Kansas city confidential is a 1952 american film noir and crime film directed by phil karlson starring john payne, coleen gray and lee van cleef. Kansas city confidential 1952 hd john payne, coleen gray. Kansas city confidential is one of the essential heist films, elements of it have reappeared in countless movies since like the thomas crown affair and the usual suspects. He blackmails three wanted criminals into becoming part a meticulously planned armored car robbery. Kansas city confidential is a 1952 film noir about an excon trying to go straight who is framed for a million dollar armored car robbery and must go to mexico in order to unmask the real culprits directed by phil karlson. Kansas city confidential 1952 john payne, coleen gray, preston foster feature drama, crime film gorillas.
Kansas city confidential 1952 combustible celluloid. Karlson and payne teamed a year later for 99 river street, another film noir, followed by hells island, a film. Tightly plotted and perfectly cast, kansas city confidential is film noir at its finest. In kansas city confidential, preston foster plays tim foster, an embittered excop forced to retire over some unspecified incident, who blackmails three hoods into helping him to commit an armed robbery. Following the aftermath of a gangs armoredtruck heist, the film has received attention as a possible influence on reservoir dogs. Kansas city confidential 1952 kansas city confidential. Kansas city confidential 1952 free streaming video tubi. Kansas city confidential film by karlson 1952 britannica.
A mysterious fellow preston foster contacts a trio of criminals jack elam, neville brand, lee van cleef to help with a bank heist. A rough and tough little film noir, kansas city confidential is brimming with slapping, punching and shooting along its eventful course. Karlson also directed 5 against the house 1955, the phenix city. Joe rolfe payne, a downonhisluck flower delivery truck driver is accused of being involved and is roughly interrogated by local police. Kc confidential is a 5 star example as to what makes a good crime story. Karlson and payne teamed up a year later for another blackandwhite film, this time a noir, titled 99 river street, followed by a 1955 color film, hells island. Joe rolfe john payne, the man they framed to take the heat, gets his charges dropped, and the police offer him a reward if he can help recover the cash. This absorbing crime drama is also one of the most wellcrafted movies of its genre. So it is with director phil karlsons kansas city confidential. Kansas city confidential 1952 crime drama film noir thriller. Kansas city confidential 1952, the first of three collaborations between phil karlson, a director who graduated from bmovies with a strong storytelling punch and a tough, twofisted sensibility, and john payne, a former light romantic lead and bland songanddance man of fox musicals, was a career changer for both of them. Kansas city confidential is a 1952 film noir crime film directed by phil karlson and starring john payne.
Read famous quotes from kansas city confidential, 1952, directed by phil karlson, with john payne, coleen gray, preston foster. In this noirthriller, three convicts are contracted by a mysterious benefactor to pull a bank heist. Payne is joe rolfe, a ww ii vet who delivers flowers for a living. Criminals boyd kane neville brand, tony romano lee van cleef and pete harris jack elam are cogs in the scheme but they never meet each other facetoface. Kansas city confidential, an essential film noir from 1952.
Kansas city confidential is a 1952 american film noir crime film directed by phil karlson and starring john payne, coleen gray, preston foster, neville brand, lee van cleef and jack elam. Other articles where kansas city confidential is discussed. Kansas city confidential is a 1952 film noir crime film directed by phil karlson and starring john payne actor, coleen. Siskoid behind its lackluster title, kansas city confidential hides a fun. Org just like in the dark corner 1946, in kansas city confidential we have an innocent guy framed, suspected, arrested and then just about destroyed by the process of clearing his name. But it is the purpose of this picture to expose the amazing operations of a man who conceived and executed a perfect crime, the true solution of which is not entered in any case history, and could well be entitled kansas city confidential. You can watch the complete 1952 noir crime picture, now in the public domain, and decide for yourself. Joes not too happy about the confusion, and goes looking for the perpetrators down in mexico. Kansas city confidential is a low budget bgrade film noir that holds up quite well 60 years after its theatrical release. According to wikipedia the plot was inspiration for quentin tarantinos reservoir dogs. Kansas city confidential, phil karlsons low low budget, bgrade film noir, opens on a kansas city armoredcar robbery perpetrated by cynical, corrupt expoliceman timothy foster preston s. Corrupt excop timothy foster foster recruits three heavies for an armoredcar robbery that goes off without a hitch. Kansas city confidentials bmovie roots are abundantly clear, but that doesnt keep it from being an effective little excursion into the world of film noir.
Kansas city confidential is a 1952 film noir crime film directed by phil karlson and starring john payne, coleen gray, preston foster, neville. Kansas city confidential 1952, with lee van cleef full movie. Not rated 1h 39min crime, drama, filmnoir 11 november 1952 usa. Like a gun in your face four robbers hold up an armored truck getting away with over a million dollars in cash. Karlson was among the toughminded hollywood directors whose noirthemed work film programmer steve brown introduced to club 57 audiences.
It was directed by phil karlson at his peak just after scandal sheet and right before 99 river street. It is the only way to download torrents fully anonymous by encrypting all traffic with zero logs. Kansas city confidential 1952 3 12 stars out of 4 tweet city tricksters. Kansas city confidential 1952 journeys in classic film. With john payne, coleen gray, preston foster, neville brand. Karlson achieves a very paranoid atmosphere throughout the film, the. An excon trying to go straight is framed for a million dollar armored car robbery and must go to mexico in order to unmask the real culprits. The authorities mistakenly nab excon joe rolfe payne, however, since his delivery truck is identical to the one used in the job. Kansas city confidential 1952 t im foster preston foster is a bitter excop forced into early retirement for mysterious reasons. Kansas city confidential 1952 touch to expand thumbnails from archive. Kansas city confidential free on kanopy stream on demand. Payne was already reinventing himself as a hard, taciturn lead in. Karlson and payne teamed a year later for 99 river street, another film noir, followed by hells island, a film noir in color.
Despite the ingrained conventions of film noir some films can leave you surprised. This is certainly a film that fans of film noir will appreciate and. The four wear masks and remain strangers to each other, planning to reunite in mexico to divvy up the loot. The film was known particularly for its brutality, and it later developed a cult following. Staring neville brand, preston foster, jack elam and john payne. Karlson and payne teamed up a year later for 99 river street, another noir, followed by a 1955 color film noir, hells island. Spacepirates rating of the film kansas city confidential spacepirate starts out incredible, with one of the best openings in all of noir, but it quickly loses steam once the setting changes to mexico and a subplot with a love interest takes away from the main reason we are watching. Kansas city confidential 1952 tt0044789 a downonhisluck exgi finds himself framed for an armored car robbery. The film was released in the united kingdom as the secret four.
Another crime boss, another dangerously eccentric gang of gunmen, some corrupt policing, and a complicated. Kc confidential is still the best, always a treat to watch. Kansas city confidential 1952 regional educational. Kansas city confidential the secret four 1952 rotten. This amazing little film has never before been released on video, and in fact, neither has most of the rest of director phil karlsons work except his later. As an impressionable lad kansas city confidential left no enduring mark on my psyche.
Kansas city confidential the film detective restored version bluray. It tells its story with few frills, but with plenty of interesting details and a welltimed pace. The film was marketed with the tagline exploding like a gun in your face. Should phil karlsons kansas city confidential also make it in. This film has been enhanced using a video enhancement program that reduces noise and enhances video quality. Kansas city confidential 1952 kansas city confidential isnt the slickest show in the film noir canon but it has plenty of malice crammed into the close ups of its prolific baddies sweaty, greedy faces. How has this film gained the reputation of being ed woods magnum opus the worst film ever made. Director phil karlson genres crime, drama, thriller, film noir rating 7. Kansas city confidential is a film directed by phil karlson with john payne, preston foster, lee van cleef, coleen gray, year. Public domain theater presents another great public domain film from. Director phil karlson is remembered fondly for this and other hardhitting noir exercises that would follow, two of which featured payne. Kansas city confidential 1952 john payne, coleen gray, lee van cleef, preston foster. Get info about the original print of kansas city confidential, 1952, directed by phil karlson, with john payne, coleen gray, preston foster.
Other karlson movies that transcended their bmovie constraints include the phenix city story 1955 and walking tall 1973. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. What starts as a typical heist film becomes a story of duplicity between good guys and bad about the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we tell to spare others. With john payne, coleen gray, lee van cleef, jack elam. John payne stars in kansas city confidential, a 1952 noir also starring preston foster, colleen gray, jack elam, neville brand and lee van cleef. Download kansas city diy city guide and travel journal. Kansas city confidential 1952, usa john payne, coleen. Kansas city confidential on dvd 014381145021 from image ent directed by phil karlson. Kansas city confidential is a 1952 blackandwhite crime film directed by phil karlson and starring john payne. Watch kansas city confidential online stream full movie.
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