Some parts of this episode are I suppose a little weak and confusing, but it isn't the worst that season 3 had to offer, and there was far worse to come the longer the show went on.. It doesn't quite match up to the previous two episodes directed by Walter Hill, "The Man Who Was Death" and "Cutting Cards", but it's pretty enjoyable in its own right. It isn't really horror as there's no supernatural elements in the story, nor is it ever particularly horrific except for one violent scene right at the end. It's more of a thriller with some dark noirish undertones, with the 'horror' as such seeming to be that of the main character's growing desperation as he succumbs to the alcoholism that he suffers from and does something murderously drastic in order to get the big story he's been looking for... This tale has a great atmosphere about it though, it definitely has a certain old style E.C. gumshoe detective tonal thing going on, even though he's actually a reporter! I love the classy music and lighting and the moody inner monologues which are so engaging. It's a relatively uneventful story and the twist isn't really much of a twist at all as it's all very straightforward and pretty much spelled out for you. But it does trot along at a very compelling pace anyway because it feels focused and has a strong performance by Richard Jordan that alone makes it above average and worth watching for me. The ending feels very cheap and downright lazy however, with the character seemingly having gotten away with the murder yet next being seen telling his story and breaking the forth wall in an insane asylum without offering any explanation of how he ended up there, it doesn't make any sense and the episode winds up feeling rather incomplete because of it. Did the guilt drive him crazy? Did he go on to commit more murders to create more headline stories? Nothing in the story really sets him up as being all that insane.. You can't leave the audience just hanging' like that! Richard Jordan passed away about two years after being in this episode and it turned out to be one of his last roles, and for me that adds a bit of a poignant note to his part as a washed up reporter tired of life who thinks that he's found a way out of his troubles with a women he's infatuated with, but who's interested in nothing more than a good time, and he just ends up giving in to his private demons in more ways than one and losing his mind. It isn't great but it's an effective tale that's solidly written and directed and I like it's hard-edged grim atmosphere and 'charm.' It's highly intriguing and leaves you wanting more...in a good way.
1 out of 1 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink