"Crime Without Passion" was a movie with a wonderful plot. If only the movie had one major character I liked then it would've been so much better. Lee Gentry, Carmen Brown, and Katy Costello all ranged from despicable to forgettable.
Lee Gentry (played by Claude Rains) was the main character. He was a Clarence Darrow type attorney. Like Darrow he gave long-winded closing arguments, he won cases that were sure losers, and he even referred to himself as the "Champion of the Damned." Clarence Darrow was known as the "Attorney for the Damned." Also like Darrow, Gentry's weakness was women. He wasn't satisfied with just one.
The two women in Gentry's life were Carmen Brown (played by Margo) and Katy Costello (played by Whitney Bourne). Katy told Gentry that he'd better cut off his relationship with Carmen or she was walking. Gentry was such a coward and a user that he couldn't simply break up with Carmen, he had to conjure up an entire scenario to make it seem like he was leaving her because she was seeing another man.
Carmen was the type of woman who was not easy to get rid of, and the perception was that Gentry was the reason. He loved to talk and his lawyer mind was so sharp he could convince her that night was day and day was night. So, even though Carmen was miserable when she was with Gentry, she also couldn't do without him.
Gentry thought he had made a clean break from Carmen until she called him and threatened to kill herself. He went over to her place to presumably stop her, but he only further inflamed her. Then, in movie fashion, there was a fight for a gun and Carmen was shot. Gentry wiped down everything and began formulating an alibi. From that point on he was in full self-preservation mode. Gentry went from being in control of everything and everyone to being out of control.
I liked the storyline and how the events unfolded in "Crime Without Passion," I just didn't like Gentry, and he dominated the film. He was so pompous, underhanded, and insulting that I just wanted to punch a hole in his face. Yeah, he may have gotten his just desserts in the end, but I still had to suffer through too much of him for too long.
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Lee Gentry (played by Claude Rains) was the main character. He was a Clarence Darrow type attorney. Like Darrow he gave long-winded closing arguments, he won cases that were sure losers, and he even referred to himself as the "Champion of the Damned." Clarence Darrow was known as the "Attorney for the Damned." Also like Darrow, Gentry's weakness was women. He wasn't satisfied with just one.
The two women in Gentry's life were Carmen Brown (played by Margo) and Katy Costello (played by Whitney Bourne). Katy told Gentry that he'd better cut off his relationship with Carmen or she was walking. Gentry was such a coward and a user that he couldn't simply break up with Carmen, he had to conjure up an entire scenario to make it seem like he was leaving her because she was seeing another man.
Carmen was the type of woman who was not easy to get rid of, and the perception was that Gentry was the reason. He loved to talk and his lawyer mind was so sharp he could convince her that night was day and day was night. So, even though Carmen was miserable when she was with Gentry, she also couldn't do without him.
Gentry thought he had made a clean break from Carmen until she called him and threatened to kill herself. He went over to her place to presumably stop her, but he only further inflamed her. Then, in movie fashion, there was a fight for a gun and Carmen was shot. Gentry wiped down everything and began formulating an alibi. From that point on he was in full self-preservation mode. Gentry went from being in control of everything and everyone to being out of control.
I liked the storyline and how the events unfolded in "Crime Without Passion," I just didn't like Gentry, and he dominated the film. He was so pompous, underhanded, and insulting that I just wanted to punch a hole in his face. Yeah, he may have gotten his just desserts in the end, but I still had to suffer through too much of him for too long.
Free on YouTube.