The Chase (1946)

Have you ever been afraid? Really afraid?

The Chase is directed by Arthur Ripley and adapted to screenplay by Philip Yordan from the novel The Black Path of Fear written by Cornell Woolrich. It stars Robert Cummings, Steve Cochran, Michèle Morgan, Peter Lorre and Jack Holt. Music is by Michel Michelet and cinematography comes from Frank F. Planer. Plot finds Cummings as World War II veteran Chuck Scott, drifting and skint, he finds a wallet and returns it to the owner. The owner is one Eddie Roman (Cochran), an apparently wealthy and thriving business man who repays Chuck's honesty by giving him a job as a chauffeur. Nothing from here on in will ever be the same....

The Chase is one of those films that fell in to the public domain, got a cult following in spite of the number of bad prints out there, and now arguably deserves a place on the must see list of film noir enthusiasts. Bad prints aside, The Chase deals in oppressive atmosphere and lives in the void caught between a dream and a nightmare. Ripley (Thunder Road 1958) crafts his whole film in a dream state, keeping it mostly nocturnal, he and photographer Franz Planer thrive on Woolrich's premise and use slow pacing and shadow play to smoother the characters. It feels stifling, odd even, but with a couple of tricks up his sleeve, Ripley garners maximum impact by disorientating the viewer for the wonderfully absurd ending. Some may call out cheat, others are likely to enjoy its Wellesian feel, either way it's certainly a film that can't be called dull.

Cummings is fine as the good guy suddenly finding his world shifting sideways in a blur of pills, sleep and perfume, while Morgan registers nicely - even if ultimately she's underused and often her character is just there to make a romantic point. Cochran, in only his second year of acting, is a dominating and frightening force as the handsome and oily Roman. It's a menacing portrayal of a character who slaps his women around and literally will stop at nothing to get his way. But even Cochran is trumped by yet another weasel turn from Lorre, standing on the side of his boss spitting flem as well as sarcastic quips, Lorre alone is enough to seek the film out for a viewing. Good secondary support comes from Jack Holt in an important small role.

It doesn't push any boundaries or hold up as being hugely influential in the film noir cycle. But it's a relevant piece of work in that cycle, and certainly recommended to those interested in dream like oppression. 7/10

As jobbing B-feature actors go, Robert Cummings was one of the more reliable. Good looking - at times capable of being mean, moody and/or magnificent, he always turned in an ok performance, and with this rather far fetched caper he tries his best. He ("Chuck Scott") is recruited as a chauffeur for mob boss "Roman" (Steve Cochran) but falls for his unhappy trophy wife Michèle Morgan (Lorna). Before we know it, they have escaped on a boat to Cuba en route to South America. "Roman" and sidekick "Gino" (Peter Lorre) are having one of this defiance and the couple's plans get no further than Havana before "Scott" finds himself home, with his army pal "Davidson" (Jack Holt) and the whole thing looks like it could have just been a dream - and one that isn't over yet...! It starts off pretty much full on, with an interesting example of back-seat driving, sags a little in the overly slushy middle then builds quite effectively before a rather stupid conclusion that I found really quite disappointing. The psychological elements of Cornell Woolrich's original book lay a decent foundation for a solid and quite effective thriller at times, and there are some quite innovative visual effects to help fuel the sense of confusion, it's just a shame that the dreary dialogue and lacklustre supporting efforts - even Lorre - never quite let it run. Pity, intriguing idea.