This Woman Is Dangerous
directed by Felix Feist
directed by Felix Feist
This Warners Bros. film wasn't that good. But it wasn't designed to be. It was the last film that Joan Crawford owed the studio under her contract. Supposedly the studio offered Crawford this role hoping that if she took it the film would hurt her box office appeal and if she didn't take it (the studio's preference) then the studio executives could suspend her, further damage her reputation, and prevent her from moving on to different film productions.
Well nobody ever accused Crawford of being dumb or not being keenly attuned to her own best interests. Surprising the studio, Crawford accepted the film's lead role and gave it the old college try. Crawford would later claim that this was among her worst films, if not the absolute worst.
Crawford was miscast. Although Crawford was something of a babe in her youth, by this point in her career, the only reminder of fading beauty was her large (almost oversized) expressive eyes. Crawford's face and persona had become very hard, almost masculine. It's this version of Crawford that was later (cruelly??) parodied by Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest and which is likely best known by movie fans.
This movie requires Crawford to be tough, suspicious, and cold and then almost immediately be soft, naive, and easily tricked. This is not a classic film noir where the woman character is allowed to be unapologetically bad, something that Crawford could easily depict.
The film wanted viewers to sympathize with Crawford's character. So they offloaded a lot of responsibility to male characters. This reduces the story's believability.
If you want me to think that the female lead is a tough gal who doesn't take any stuff, don't show me her pocketing her boyfriend's bullets and begging him not to kill anyone while she's gone. Instead, show me the female boss warning her boyfriend to obey her orders because otherwise her enforcer is gonna ventilate him with his .45!!!!
Beth Austin (Crawford) is the leader and idea woman of a group of burglars, armed robbers, and con (wo)men. As the movie opens Beth and team have successfully robbed a casino of almost $100,000.
Dismissing everyone else after the payout, Beth orders the three core members of her gang, her violent lover Matt Jackson (David Brian), Matt's sarcastic brother Will (Phillip Carey), and Will's loyal ride or die wife Ann (Mari Aldon) to lay low while she travels to Indiana for surgery to correct her failing eyesight. Matt doesn't like this. Matt is always nervous and jealous when Beth is away.
In Indiana, Beth falls in love with her lonely eye surgeon, Dr. Ben Halleck (Dennis Morgan). Dr. Halleck is a widower. He has a daughter who needs a new mother. And he's falling in love as well. But to paraphrase some lyrics from Ike and Tina Turner, Beth thinks she's slick but she could stand a little greasing.
The casino and the FBI are on Beth's trail. The paranoid and lovestruck Matt has underworld contacts monitor Beth. Beth must decide if she still feels obligated to Matt or if she deserves a fresh start and nice man like Dr. Halleck. This film was needlessly melodramatic even for the times. David Brian provided the film's only energy. His height (6'4") helped sell his menace. TRAILER
