1948 / 79m - USA
Crime, Thriller
1.5*/5.0*
Raw Deal poster

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February 08, 2022

1.5*/5.0*

Getting a feel for a genre is always a little exciting, even though the genre may not be completely what you're looking. A year or so ago I was pretty clueless about film-noir, having seen a bunch of them now I feel a bit more at ease with its rules and characteristics. I'm also quickly growing bored with them.

Joe Sullivan lands himself in jail, protecting his partner Rick. Rick owes Joe money and wants to get rid of him, though without taking any blame for the hit. Rick devises a flawed escape plan, hoping that'll become Joe's death. With the help of his girlfriend, Joe manages to escape after all, leaving him with some important choices to make.

Raw Deal is a pretty standard film-noir. Mann is smart enough to keep his film short and concise, but the plot isn't too engaging, the performances are rather bland, and the dialogue is by the numbers. It's fine if you love classic crime cinema, but I'm clearly not part of that niche. Not for me, but there's worse out there.