The Killer Is Loose
Wendell Corey, Joseph Cotten, Rhonda Fleming
Directed by Budd Boetticher
Black and white Fullscreen
Originally released 1956
MGM Home Video 2011
The Killer is a good film noir DVD starring Wendell Corey as a cop whose wife becomes the target of an escaped convict. This is one of the better titles in the MGM Limited Edition on demand releases. The Killer Is Loose features solid acting and at 73 minutes wastes little time telling a pretty good story.
Wendell Corey plays a mousey bespectacled bank clerk named Poole. There is a hold-up at his bank and Poole plays hero. The police suspect an inside job so they tap the employees’ phones. They discover Poole was in on it, go to arrest him, and Detective Sam Wagner (Joseph Cotton) accidentally kills Poole’s wife in the shootout. Poole vows revenge.
A few years later, Poole is sent to a minimum security facility from which he escapes after killing a guard. The hunt is on and the cops must find Poole before he makes it to the detective’s house and gets his revenge.
The Killer Is Loose is a pretty good film noir. The story, characters, and tension the movie wants to create also work.
This is a black and white fullscreen presentation. The print used here is excellent with nary a spec or scratch.
Look for Alan Hale of Gilligan fame as a cop and detective.
Also in the MGM Limited Edition Collection:
My Guy Is Quick – Mike Hammer DVD