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Murder, My Sweet (1944)

WConsidered by many to be the definitive private eye film noir, director Edward Dmytryk's adaptation of Raymond Chandler's 1940 novel "Farewell, My Lovely" stars Dick Powell as hard-boiled gumshoe Philip Marlowe, whose search for an ex-con's former girlfriend (Claire Trevor) leads him into a convoluted plot of blackmail, stolen jewels, and murder. With Mike Mazurki, Otto Kruger, Anne Shirley. 95 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Out Of The Past (1947)

Scuffling P.I. Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum) finally got a sure-money job from shady high-roller Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas): Track down and retrieve the mistress (Jane Greer) who skipped with $40,000 of his money. Finding his prey in Mexico, Bailey falls for her, but his plan to make them new lives leads to stunning betrayals. Jacques Tourneur's exemplary film noir co-stars Steve Brodie, Rhonda Fleming, Dickie Moore. 97 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Set-Up (1949)

Grittily realistic and played out in real time, this fine boxing drama sets up a crackling mix of tensions as a broken-down pugilist (Robert Ryan) prepares to enter the ring and win a fight nobody else expects him to--not his wife (Audrey Totter), and not even his manager...who has secretly taken money from mobsters under the pretense his man will take a dive. Robert Wise directs; George Tobias, Wallace Ford co-star. 72 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Gun Crazy (1950)

Loosely based on the exploits of Bonnie and Clyde, this gem of low-budget filmmaking stars Peggy Cummins and John Dall as Annie Laurie Starr and Bart Tare, mentally unbalanced lovers who enter a life of crime for the "pleasure" of it before meeting a violent end. Film noir favorite also stars Berry Kroeger, Anabel Shaw; look for Russ Tamblyn as the young Bart. The screenplay was credited to the author of the short story the film was based on, MacKinlay Kantor, who was "fronting" for a blacklisted Dalton Trumbo. AKA: "Deadly Is the Female." 87 min. BW/Rtg: NR