Noir Archive 9-Film Collection, Volume 3: 1957-1960

The Long Haul (1957)

Two-fisted British crime drama with Victor Mature as an ex-GI who gets involved with some seedy racketeers. He joins them in hijacking trucks, falls for a hood’s wife, and soon finds himself stealing priceless furs. Gene Anderson, Patrick Allen, and Diana Dors also star. 88 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Pickup Alley (1957)

Victor Mature stars as an American narcotics agent pursuing drug smuggler Trevor Howard. For Mature, the chase is not just about his professional duty, because his sister is an addict. Determined to nab his enemy, Mature chases him all over the globe. This cosmopolitan British thriller was co-produced by Albert R. Broccoli, who would soon rocket to success with the similarly sophisticated James Bond franchise. Anita Ekberg, Eric Pohlmann co-star. 91 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Shadow On The Window (1957)

Teen hoodlums murder the owner of a remote farmhouse and take his secretary hostage. The woman’s young son, traumatized by witnessing the killing, falls into a state of catatonia while her estranged husband, a detective, desperately searches for her. Director William Asher’s tense suspenser features John Barrymore, Jr. (aka John Drew Barrymore) as the leader of the criminal gang; Betty Garrett, Philip Carey co-star. 73 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Tijuana Story (1957)

With corruption and vice rampant in the notorious Mexican border destination, a crusading newspaper editor (Rodolfo Acosta) sets his sights on bringing down the dominant crime syndicate. However, the mob boss (Paul Newlan) likes the status quo just fine, and he’s ready to answer the ink with blood. Fact-based crime drama co-stars Robert Blake, James Darren, Robert McQueeney. 73 min. BW/Rtg: NR

She Played With Fire (1957)

An insurance investigator (Jack Hawkins) rekindles his relationship with an ex-girlfriend (Arlene Dahl) after her husband (Dennis Price) perishes in a fiery blaze. Will the heat generated by the resumption of their love affair-plus the introduction of blackmail-consume both of them in a deadly conflagration that ends in murder? British noir, based on a Winston Graham novel, co-stars Ian Hunter, Violet Farebrother. 94 min. C/Rtg: NR

The Case Against Brooklyn (1958)

In this vintage crime programmer, Darren McGavin stars as a rookie cop in Brooklyn who goes undercover in order to expose corruption within the police force. But when he begins to attempt to get information out of a widow who may be able to help his cause, his wife and partner are both put in danger. With Maggie Hayes, Warren Stevens, and Peggy McCay. 81 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Lineup (1958)

Parcels of a heroin shipment have made their way into San Francisco, via the luggage of unsuspecting travelers...and the mob has tasked cold-blooded hit man Eli Wallach with their retrieval. As the cops doggedly chase his trail of blood, what happens when the final package lands in the hands of a little girl? Don Siegel’s grim procedural co-stars Robert Keith, Richard Jaeckel, Warner Anderson, Vaughn Taylor. 86 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Crimson Kimono (1959)

After a stripper is gunned down in the streets of Los Angeles, plainclothes partners Glenn Corbett and James Shigeta make their first inquiries with artist Victoria Shaw, who had painted the victim’s portrait. When an attempt is thereafter made on her life, the cops bring her to their bachelor pad for safekeeping, sparking a rivalry that threatens their friendship. Samuel Fuller’s stylish suspenser co-stars Anna Lee, Gloria Pall. 82 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Man On A String (1960)

Loosely based on fact, this suspenseful thriller stars Ernest Borgnine as a Moscow-born U.S. citizen in the employ of Soviet spies. When the traitorous Borgnine--working as a Hollywood producer--is caught by the feds, he agrees to put his skills to use on behalf of American interests. André De Toth ("House of Wax") directs; Kerwin Matthews, Colleen Dewhurst co-star. 93 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Standard; Soundtrack: English.