Violent Saturday (1955)

The Brandenville Broth.

Violent Saturday is directed by Richard Fleischer and adapted to screenplay by Sydney Boehm from the novel of the same name written by William L. Heath. It stars Victor Mature, Richard Egan, Lee Marvin, Stephen McNally, J. Carrol Naish, Tommy Noonan, Ernest Borgnine, Virginia Leith and Sylvia Sidney. Music is by Hugo Friedhoffer and cinematography by Charles G. Clarke.

Stand Pat and Resist Evil.

A simmering powder keg of criminality told in beautiful De Luxe and CinemaScope, Violent Saturday is one of the definitions of a slow burn movie that pays off with explosive aplomb.

The town of Brandenville is the scene of a planned bank robbery by a trio of baddies led by Harper (McNally). The narrative has the trio arrive in town and plan for the robbery, as they move about the populace, a whole bunch of sub-plots pop up to maintain maximum interest and to of course set up the drama involving the robbery and the subsequent attempts at a getaway.

I don't blame him – she moves like a Swiss watch.

The characters are prime noir dwellers, they range from thieving dames and tramp wives, to a peeping tom, a drunkard husband and also a guilt ridden father, and this before we even get to the villains! Who, with Marvin in prime Benzedrine sniffing scumbag mode (he thinks nothing of hurting children), are truly shifty operators personified.

The Arizona locale is beautifully utilised by Fleischer and Clarke, belying the harsh side of the human condition that comes roaring out the Brandenville traps as the pic enters the final third. There's some murky moralising in said last third that irritates, more so when it involves a badly miscast Borgnine as a Quaker! While one character strand is annoyingly left dangling.

So it's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. In fact some of the cast were less than enamoured with either their work on the film or the attitude of others around them. Yet, and while understanding the reticence of some to not afford it film noir status, it has the requisite characterisations and nasty bite to keep noiristas very happy indeed 7.5/10

This isn't really a film about an heist, it's more a rather effective observation on small town American life. "Harper" (Stephen McNally) arrives in town with his two partners - the rather nasty "Dill" (Lee Marvin) and "Chapman" (J. Carrol Naish) and starts casing the bank. Their attentions go largely un-noticed by the bank manager "Harry" (Tommy Noonan) who has some interesting nocturnal activities, nor by the successful but frequently drunk "Boyd" (Richard Egan) who is trying to rekindle his marriage with "Mary" (Margaret Hayes) whilst interfering nurse "Elsie" (Sylvia Sidney) spots an opportunity. Meantime "Martin" (Victor Mature) who stayed at home during the war to ensure continuing copper production wants to convince his son "Steve" (Billy Chapin) that there was no shame in that. There's a bit of debt-induced petty thievery and a family of neighbourly Amish led by "Stadt" (Ernest Borgnine). These interconnected threads are all played out succinctly as we head to a denouement that tests the mettle of "Martin" and the faith of the Amish when it comes to the ultimate exercise in self-preservation. It moves along quickly with plenty of plotting, a minimum of romantic clutter and provides for some characterful performances. Worth a watch.