Kansas City Confidential

Film noir is similar to horror; fans of it will eat up just about anything. Every movie, no matter how bad or good, has something in it that people can enjoy. Personally, I’m more of a noir guy than a horror guy, so catching up with "Kansas City Confidential" was fun.

It starts with a robbery of an armored truck from a group of people in simple masks. The plan is perfectly researched and successfully pulled off. The big twist is someone else is taking the fall.

Joe Rolfe is a flower-truck driver and he’s the one the police are accusing. In order to clear his name, he has to figure out who was involved. Complications are involved when one of the men who pull off the heist is a former cop with motivations of his own.

In comparison, there have been better heist sequences from the films of this time. There are grittier tales involving the police and a man trying to clear his name. A lot of the dialogue in this one feels rather stilted and awkward.

Within the fan community, though, this one is a favorite, and there are certain elements where the appeal is evident. The plot does move fast and the story is a lot of fun even though there are only so many directions it can go. The film looks good with its set-ups and locations. The conflict with the police works well and the tension is strong throughout.

This isn’t the best movie to break someone into the genre, but it’s a fun entry that will unfortunately be overshadowed by stronger films.

The Blu-ray has the same problems as “The Stranger.” The only extras are a trailer and demo showing the transfer upgrade. The Blu-ray still doesn’t look that great, but there is still an improvement, albeit a small one. The Blu-ray also includes a DVD in the set, but it’s still up in the air as to whether this is picking up in favor of the the several incarnations available through its public-domain status.

Film: 3.5 Yaps Extras: 1 Yap