The Victor Mature film, "I Wake Up Screaming", has one of the best film noir titles in film history. It also was a pretty dandy movie. Twelve years later, Twentieth-Century Fox remade the movie as "Vickie". This remake isn't bad at all...but why mess with an already classic film?!
"Vickie" is about a top model (Jean Peters) who has been murdered. The cop investigating the case (Richard Boone) is clearly a very disturbed man--obsessed with pinning the killing on a publicity agent (Elliot Reid) responsible for Vickie's meteoric rise to fame. If that means manufacturing evidence or beating a confession out of the poor guy, then Boone is more than willing to do this. Vickie's sister (Jeanne Crain) is certain Reid is not responsible for the killing and is willing to do what she can to help him prove his innocence...as if Boone really cared! The film is very noir in the way it portrays the police. While Boone is clearly an evil nut-job in the countless ways he violates civil liberties, the 'good cops' aren't exactly angels--trying to force confessions out of people through very dubious means. Civil rights attorneys must have had apoplexies watching this film, that's for sure! Even my 1940s and 50s movie standards, these cops were playing fast and loose with the law.
As for the acting, it's all very good--as is the story. The only really exceptional element, however, is the chance to see Aaron Spelling (yes, the very famous producer) doing some acting! He plays a nutty guy in a very entertaining fashion--kind of over the top but entertaining nonetheless.
Overall, this is a very entertaining film with an interesting plot that is reminiscent of noir films such as "The Killers" and "Sunset Boulevard" because the film starts with a killing and then backtracks to show the events leading up to it. Not a great noir film, but very good.
"Vickie" is about a top model (Jean Peters) who has been murdered. The cop investigating the case (Richard Boone) is clearly a very disturbed man--obsessed with pinning the killing on a publicity agent (Elliot Reid) responsible for Vickie's meteoric rise to fame. If that means manufacturing evidence or beating a confession out of the poor guy, then Boone is more than willing to do this. Vickie's sister (Jeanne Crain) is certain Reid is not responsible for the killing and is willing to do what she can to help him prove his innocence...as if Boone really cared! The film is very noir in the way it portrays the police. While Boone is clearly an evil nut-job in the countless ways he violates civil liberties, the 'good cops' aren't exactly angels--trying to force confessions out of people through very dubious means. Civil rights attorneys must have had apoplexies watching this film, that's for sure! Even my 1940s and 50s movie standards, these cops were playing fast and loose with the law.
As for the acting, it's all very good--as is the story. The only really exceptional element, however, is the chance to see Aaron Spelling (yes, the very famous producer) doing some acting! He plays a nutty guy in a very entertaining fashion--kind of over the top but entertaining nonetheless.
Overall, this is a very entertaining film with an interesting plot that is reminiscent of noir films such as "The Killers" and "Sunset Boulevard" because the film starts with a killing and then backtracks to show the events leading up to it. Not a great noir film, but very good.