Product: Too Late for Tears (1949)
Rating: 2.0
Elizabeth Scott Strikes Out
When Jane (Elizabeth Scott) commandeers her husband's car to avoid a pursuer in "Too Late For Tears" a.k.a "Killer Bait" the unbelievable begins. As she is recklessly driving against an all to visible fake backdrop, she is stubbornly smirking as if to tell the auidence: "I have $60,000 in cash that doesn't belong to me; my pursuer knows this, but I think I'll have fun speeding and weaving anyway. I had not seen this film in about 10 years since viewing it in VHS format. I purchased Questar's 5 DVD package "Killer Classics" and was pleasantly surprised at the crispness and clarity "Too Late For Tears" favors over its VHS predecessor. From a noir perspective "Too Late For Tears" fails in plot construction, a poor script, and a dismal characterization of a femme fatale in the form of Jane (Liz Scott). Visible examples are when Jane switches car seats with her husband (Arthur Kennedy) after eluding their mysterious pursuer and are pulled over by a motorcycle cop. Jane menacingly reaches into the glove compartment for a large black flashlight while the officer writes the traffic ticket. Even her husband says: "What were you going to do with that?" I guess she wanted to shine the bright light into the eyes of the cop to scare him away!! Prior to that when the motorcycle cop turns on his siren, Jane commands her husband: "Don't stop! He his almost a block behind us." Did Jane really think the couple could outrace a motorcycle cop on a busy city street? I realize that the character of Jane is absorbed with the thought of money and how money could change her life, but why did the director and script writer allow for such nonsensical dialogue to be part of a film that could have been a high grade B noir classic. When the money is spilled from the satchel and Jane's carniverous eyes and hands greedily indulge in its lure, the bills are clearly fake. This picture was made in 1949, 10, 20, and 50, dollar bills in no way resembled the prop bills that were used in Too Late For Tears. When Liz shoots her husband point blank in the boat the resulting shot to the chest would have caused massive bleeding and blood splatter to Jane's clothes. But when the boat is returned the worker does not notice the blood in the boat or on Jane's clothes. When Jane drives the car to the beach she throws the murder weapon into the waves, yet later on the gun shows up again. The gun's role is pivotal in directing Kathreen's (Kristine Miller)suspicion about her brother's disappearance to Jane. We also led to believe that Jane gun butts and escapes the apartment. Thankfully the director chose not to film this scene. Finally when Jane realizes that the ticket stub in her husband's coat is blank, she faints?? All of these shortcomings distract what could have been a noir classic if left in the direction of a Fritz Lang or Alfred Hitchcock. Some interesting facets about the film are the use of promotional posters that show actor Dan Duryea slapping Liz Scott. Maybe this is why the film was also released as Killer Bait. According to write Eddie Muller in his fascinating book Dark City, Duryea received truckloads of female fan mail for his abusive behavior on screen. When viewing the DVD in slow motion, it is clear that Duryea's slaps miss the mark. When viewed at regular speed they are quite convincing. If you want to see sultry Lizabeth Scott in the shadows of noir, I recommend: "I Walk Alone", "Pitfall", "Dark City" and "Desert Fury". Arthur Kennedy as Jane's husband Alan Palmer gives the most credible performance in the film.