Sinking into the mire (Quicksand (DVD))

Member Name: Ailran

Product:	Quicksand (DVD)
Date:	28/05/09 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Performance by Rooney, good storyline

Disadvantages: Quality of film transfer isnt great

Quicksand is a movie from 1950 that sits quite firmly in the Film Noir genre. It has a terrific femme fatale, Kay played by Jeanne Cagney (James' sister) and has that fatalism that is associated with the genre running all the way through it.

It has a surprisingly simple premise that works primarily because it would be so easy for anyone to end up in the situation that Dan (Mickey Rooney) finds himself in, at least in the early parts of the movie when he first starts slipping into the mire.
Dan is a mechanic, he is young, bright and loves life. Feeling tied down by the girlfriend he has just broken up with he takes a chance and flirts with the stunning blonde in the bar/café he goes into with his colleagues after work. He falls for her completely and uses his charm to talk her into going out with him the next night.
What he forgets in the impulse and excitement of asking her out on a date is that he has no money to actually afford dinner and a dance. He borrows $20 from his till at work knowing that he has a couple of days to repay it before the accountant turns up the check the tills this week. When the accountant arrives a couple of days early the next morning he knows he has very little time to get hold of $20 and replace it in the till before the discrepancy is noticed.
So begins a slow descent into crime as Dan tries to find ways to replace the money. Each plan he implements ends up just leaving him owing more and more money that he will have to repay very soon. Each plan just pulls him deeper and deeper into depths he never thought he would enter...... just like Quicksand!

Quicksand is a top draw Noir that has a great cast, a wonderfully simple but well written script, a great femme fatale (just like every good Film Noir needs) in Kay (Jeanne Cagney) and a simple but very likeable main character.
When you add in the presence of Peter Lorre (playing Kay's old boss/beau/small time crimina)l you know that you are going to see something out of the top drawer.

Seeing Mickey Rooney, probably best known for his child acting days and roles, as a man dragged into the murky depths of crime. Going one step further each time he tries to get out of the hole he has dug for himself is quite an eye opener. It is such a different role compared to what we expect from him but he does pull it off. His youthful looks work well for him at the beginning and as he is tarnished by his escapades his eyes slowly begin to tell the story of a man becoming more and more frantic as his situations gets worse.

A good Film Noir is nothing without a strong female lead though because it is nearly always the woman who drags the innocent man into crime. Because of the way the female part works you have to have someone who not only has a tough exterior but also has a certain sultry sexiness that could make a man do what she wants. Quicksand is a little bit different in that gets himself started on the road to ruin, even if it is because of Kay, but it is Kay that holds him there and makes things worse. If it wasn't for her Dan may have found a way clear of all the trouble that was looming in the distance.

As an evil, devious villain Peter Lorre is always good, but then he was also as Japanese detective/spy Mr Moto as well. Here he has a limited role but his appearance adds a whole tone of seediness to the story. As soon as Dan gets involved with him you start to realise that maybe he has gone down a road too far, that he may just have no chance of pulling himself free. Lorre is so good that he makes you realise this just with his body language and his immensely powerful eyes, the true sign of a very accomplished actor.

Quicksand is a great movie though not an out and out classic. It gets very close to it because of the excellent story idea and some superb acting. It is a fine example of the Film Noir genre that is only let down by its ending. After all the build up the final culmination of the story really feels like a bit of a letdown. Too pat and too inconsistent with what has gone before.

Quicksand has been available on and off over the years on cheap DVDs but is now one of the first three releases (along with Woman On The Run and Trapped) in Glass Key and Revelation Films Film Noir collection.
The RRP of the DVD is £9.99, which is a bit much considering the quality of the transfer but for the £6, approx, price on Amazon it is much better value and well worth a purchase.

Summary: A man gets into trouble for the love of a woman