Me Mini Movie Reviews: Too Late For Tears

"Don't ever change, Tiger. I don't think I'd like you with a heart." The 1949 B&W film Too Late For Tears is a solid noir that looks at the lenghts greed and obsession will go. Lizabeth Scott plays Jane Palmer, a married woman who along with her husband comes into a duffle bag of cash through a sheer fluke one night. They aren't on the same side as to what to do with it, and that one chance happening has quite an effect on more than them. Lizabeth Scott gives a chilling performance as someone who becomes obsessed with wanting more. Noir regular Dan Duryea shows up as someone looking for that bag of cash and gives an excellent performance as someone who thinks he's tough but hasn't seen anything yet. Then Don Defore shows up as someone who's on another quest, for something else entirely. Everyone gives a quality performance, but Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea really know what they're doing with their roles. From the first few minutes, you can see where it's going in Scott's eyes. Don Defore gets some great lines too as the pulpy noir dialogue flys along quick and shows once again why I really like the old movies. There's no CGI or big set pieces to distract the viewer - they have to actually act and have solid dialogue, and they certainly do here. I may be wrong, but I think Too Late For Tears may be one of those public domain films out there. What I watched certainly wasn't the best video quality as many of the older ones aren't, but it was more than worth it. In fact, the screen fades and scratches kind of lent a hand to the noir appeal. Certainly worth your time if you happen to find it or see it playing on TV. Verdict: Recommended