I had never knew that this Silly Symphony was Donald Duck's first theatrical appearance as well as for his voice-artist Clarence "Ducky" Nash too; and besides, I love Donald Duck, along with Mickey Mouse, his canine pal Pluto (which is unusual, because I am a cat-lover) and Chip n' Dale. This Silly Symphony is adapted from "The Little Red Hen" fable, and I know that story well; I love it whenever the Wise Little Hen says:

"Will you help me plant my corn? Will you help me plant my corn?" And Donald and Peter Pig would say in this cartoon:

"Who? me?! oh no! I've got a belly ache!" (that was great timing).


Donald Duck had been mentionened as an idea since 1931 but this was his first actual appearance.I was introduced to the character mainly by the comicbooks and at a lesser extents by some great shorts as "Commando Duck".Donald is obviously the most interesting character in this short.According to comics continuity he was 14 years old.Not bad for a teen-ager.But this short introduces as to his voice actor"Clarence"Ducky"Nash.Why should Donald's speaking be almost incomprehensible?I usualy hate hearing it.Since his name is Donald a slight Scottish accent would be more acceptable.A nice short but Clarence ruins it for me.I greately preferred Scrooge's voice in Ducktales.


The 'Silly Symphony', The Wise Little Hen feels more like one of those huge, books with thick cardboard pages you read to infants in order to help them learn basic words and morals. It may be notable for the first appearance of Donald Duck (in a supporting role) but the rest of it is mainly annoying.

I seriously do not like the Peter Pig character and I do not ever want to see him again. He was fat and rude with a rubbish voice. And the mother hen had this irritating gimmick of clucking out certain words.

The story goes that the Hen and her chicks need help planting her corn. Pete and Donald pretend to be ill but once the corn grows (no thanks to them) they feel well enough to eat it. Too bad the hen is only serving them Castor oil.

Hope the lesson isn't too subtle.


"Dr. Kildare Goes Home," made in 1940, is a particularly interesting entry into the series. Kildare, made a staff doctor, realizes that his dad (Samuel S. Hinds) is exhausted from keeping up with his practice and wants to help him. He takes some doctors who can't find jobs and they start a clinic in one of Kildare Sr.'s practice area. The idea behind it is that everyone pays ten cents a week for medical care. This will keep the salaries paid and support the work needed on the ill people. Also, the emphasis of the clinic is on prevention and staying healthy. This is health insurance today, which wants everyone to stay healthy and not need medical facilities. Instead of a dime, though, it's thousands per year. I did find that whole subject matter in 1940 fascinating.

The next fascinating thing is that Dr. Gillespie goes to watch a rare operation done by a brilliant black doctor (Jack Carr). Carr, a very well spoken actor, is uncredited in the film. This is a different kind of depiction of blacks than one is used to seeing in these old movies, and it's similar to "Crash Dive," where a black member of the submarine unit is the same as everyone else.

These things make "Dr. Kildare Goes Home" a cut above, and the story moves along with Kildare and Mary setting the date. I love the scenes between Mary Boyd (Alma Kruger) and Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) the best. When he compliments her appearance, he says, "You must have lost 15 pounds." She says, "I've gained eight. What do you want me to do that's illegal?" Highly entertaining.


I too enjoyed this entry into the world of neophyte doctor, Dr. Kildare.

It's nice to see his parents once again, as in several of the earlier films, playing such important roles in his life. Both his parents are fine, but his mother is simply adorable.

I was also surprised at Dr. Marsh's depiction. A "colored" man (the terminology of the time) who happens to be an amazing doctor and one who speaks standard English. I would imagine this scene was often cut in the South since it doesn't directly impact the main plot, but it was fascinating to see.

A nice addition to the Dr. Kildare series.


While the characters in the Dr. Kildare films are quite likable as is the dialog, a major problem in some of the early films in the series is that Kildare just doesn't behave very logically and yet the films work out in the end (sort of like Curious George, now that I think about it). In one, the doctor treats a gunshot victim and doesn't disclose this to the police--even though this violated the law and should have resulted in either criminal prosecution or loss of license or both. In two others, Kildare behaves like a psychiatrist, even though he has no training in the field and once again, he's right and everyone else is wrong. It seems that there is nothing that this young doc can't do! In DR. KILDARE GOES HOME, fortunately, there is a greater sense of logic to the film and as a result, this film didn't make me want to throw something at my TV.

The film begins with Kildare calling home to talk with his father. However, once again, the older doctor isn't home. Due to his mother's tone of voice, he assumes something is amiss despite her assertions that everything is fine, so he hops a train home. There, he finds that his dad is working himself to exhaustion because a nearby town has lost their doctors and so he now has a ton of new patients. Young Kildare comes up with an idea to create a clinic in this town to relieve his father's burden. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of resistance and the town seems quite happy working Kildare, Sr. to death! What will they do?! Overall, a very good addition to the series as logic (for once) prevails.


Grisly, gruesome stuff. I used to watch this kind of crap all the time back in the day with my buds--and my friends also. Faces of Death and Traces of Death were sort of a rite of passage. Now that I'm older, it's still interesting to indulge my morbid curiosity but I can say that there is some stuff in this type of film that will leave an impact. Atrocities, executions, war, accidents, murders, dead kids, and suicides leave their imprint in your mind after you watch it.

This particular volume had a lot of race footage and stunt wrecks as well as war and bombing footage. Several highlights include the suicide by gunshot to the head of the owner of a company that went under, bullfights, a shark bite victim, sex change operation footage (male and female), plastic surgery, burn victims, you name it. I would say that if this type of gruesome reality doco is what you're into, this title will pay off. 8/10.

NOTE: My version had Chinese language only but the narration is still just as retarded.


All parts of the Traces series are great! Of course this is for particular tastes, but those who like it, like it a lot!

If you were fascinated by the "Banned from Television" series or more circulated material like the Real TV show and all the "see it to believe it" programs on the tube, then Traces of Death is the obvious next step. More demanding than Faces of Death, this compilation is a highlight reel of some of the best moments of mondo, news footage, and curios from around the world. Gore is the forefront for any traces tape, and if you like to be shocked or to "test yourself" this is a lot of fun, especially in a group setting! However, be forewarned that the images you will see are all 100% REAL and yes, disturbing as all heck. Without spoiling it, let's just say you might want to prepare yourself for scenes containing decapitation, castration, animal sacrifice, and of course cold blooded murder. I am not recommending that you watch this front of any unsuspecting friends or family as you will be treated with a likely tempered response. I think it is fun because of the way the subject matter is handled. Some people complain that the addition of Death Metal soundtrack in the latter parts of the series is annoying, but let me say that for me this completes the process and combines all aspects for the true "Death Enthusiast". I think the narration by host "Brain Damage" is both funny but also a little too cheesy. His hidden identity is a real joke, but again makes this a real fun romp for the slightly jaded! Another great thing is that it brings metal heads back to a nostalgic time when Relapse Records was the empire of the metal world, and when the "Death Metal" genre was at its peak. Classic cuts from bands like Kataklysm, Meshuggah and Macabre, will light up any metal head like a christmas tree!

I guess my only complaint is that the whole thing is a pretty hack job. I mean I have made similar compilations on 2 VCRS and think that even I have a better skill at pacing and climax, especially in regards to fitting the music where it best belongs. Yet, all this is a minor quibble. The low-budget basement-cut feel and shlocky 90's production values add to the underground feeling you get when watching the Traces of Death series!

You'll have to search the web to find a copy out there, as you surely won't run into this one at your local video store any time soon! Also check out the updated "Faces of Gore" series by Todd Tjersland for an even sicker experience!!!!!

Play safe, and don't be so serious!!!!!


I liked this movie. I was just flicking through my channels when I saw Rachel Blakely, I knew her from "The Lost World" so I decided to look at the movie. It was good, I couldn't stop watching it. It isn't like this brilliant show or anything but it held my attention. I stayed up until really late in the morning.I wasn't about to miss it because who knows when it would have been on again.

I wish they would show it on television again. I have only seen it that one time and would love to see it again. It is a nice little show and I would recommend others to watch it, just for a little fun. You might be able to predict some parts of the plot but it doesn't matter.


I managed to catch this three and a half hour (plus) made for TV movie in the wee hours of the morning on Lifetime Movie Network and I didn't even fall asleep! It featured a number of Australian actors (that happens when you film the movie in Australia) but there were a few recognizable actors, such as Antonio "Hubba Hubba" Sabato Jr. and Joanna Cassidy. I've always liked Joanna Cassidy; she is a quality actress and she doesn't disappoint in this one.

The plot is your typical "stranded on a deserted island" theme, except this island is loaded with booby traps left over by the Japanese in WWII. That was a nice little plot twist except that one can predict who's going to make it off the island and who's not. Well, at least I could predict it. I also had visions of Gilligan's Island dancing in my head when (according to the story) the rag-tag group managed to build very livable huts (with doors and beds no less) after just 3 weeks on the island! Wow, the professor would have been proud! One has to wonder why they spent those first 3 weeks building those wonderful living quarters instead of a raft which they could have used to get OFF the island, but hey, then the movie couldn't have lasted as long as it did. Some of the characters are also reminiscent of the Gilligan's Island castaways such as the character of Lucille, who starts out as a snotty yet beautiful Ginger-type then turns into a fledgling Samurai under the hallucinogenic tutelage of a dead Japanese soldier because she just happens to be fluent in Japanese (as well as Vietnamese) and managed to translate the dead soldier's diary. Talk about luck!

Plot holes aside, I liked this movie. The acting was good, the story wasn't bad (a little predictable) and if you ever have the chance to view it I would recommend it.


-***WARNING*** for those of you who have not seen this movie yet,this comment contains MAJOR SPOILERS.

Given the small number of people who have rated this movie, I must conclude that this "mini"-series is not well known at all, but the people who have seen it may be interested in what I am going to point out: I saw it in December 2004, that is to say 6 months before "Lost" was aired on TV in western Europe. Having greatly enjoyed it, I couldn't help thinking that "Lost" reminded me of something, and it did not take me a long time to figure out of what: "Tribe"!!! The similarities between the two series are quite obvious: first of all, in both series. a brutal event (an airplane crash in "Lost", a hijacked boat in"Tribe"), leaves a group of very different people stranded on an island; second, these people, despite their very different personalities, are forced to organize themselves in order to live together, and this cannot be without some conflicts; other elements are also common to the two series: the island on which both "tribes" are stranded on contains some traps and there are also the "bad ones" (the "others" about whom the survivors in "Lost" are warned about by the French woman in Season 1, and the bad encounter that the group of people who leave the island on the raft make are obviously similar to the sea pirates returning to the island in "Tribe", etc... etc...)And the name of one of the major characters in both "Tribe" and "Lost" is... JACK!!!Strange, isn't it? I therefore highly suspect that the creators of "Lost" may have been inspired by "Tribe", even if I cannot prove it at all... However, given the so high number of similarities (there are others that would be too long to enumerate), I cannot believe that all this is pure coincidence...


I discovered this film recently on French TV under the title "Les Rescapés du Pacifique". It's quite a long affair, around three hours. The most striking thing is the sets used. Beautiful, unspoiled beaches, palm trees, clear turquoise seas obviously photographed through polarizing filters, clear deep blue skies, it makes one think of Polynesia though nothing in the credits gives any indication as to the whereabouts. I had never heard of any of the actors involved and on checking IMDb find that they are all Australian, therefore little known on this side of the planet. The plot line was watcheable but there were several plot holes and one gets the impression that the protagonists were more intent on staying on the island than actually trying to get away from it. They all seem as well extremely well dressed, clean, and well nourished, all of which seems a little exaggerated given that they were living in primitive conditions on an island. A certain number of people are killed during the course of the film, which gives a rather black tone to it, and to be fair, this contrasts alarmingly with the gorgeous exotic sets. Certainly worth viewing for the visual pleasure it exudes, the film is nevertheless less interesting on a plot basis, though the soundtrack is not unpleasant either.


This has to be one of the worst things I've ever had to endure..and that was under pain of death from the other 'arf! We missed the first hour of this 4-foot slog (thankfully)and then giggled through the rest of this abysmal Antipodean crap.

The plot was predictable and the acting, wooden. There was more life in that piece of flotsam in the final scene. The 3rd hour was gut-wrenching, at best. The characters? Marie..looked more like a bloke. Gina had a moustache. Jack with his dodgy eye movements.And Mim-htah looked like she was carrying round an entire football team. That annoying French bint with the sword, dancing in a cave with a ghost! Had she been chewing some exotic tree-bark prior to her sojourns?

This was definitely one for the teeny=boppers. I do like some Aussie things, though. Lager, Kangaroos and the name Sheila. My girlfriend enjoyed this piffle but that's hardly worthy as she also watches Prisoner Cellblock-H, Neighbours and Sons and Daughters.


Now, don't get me wrong, i gave it a chance...

I thought the Lord of the Flies type scenario could lead to an interesting plot. I was wrong, not in the traditional, "oh well, at least the cinematography was good", but in the more "OH MY GOD, argh, help, THEY STOLE 2 HOURS OF MY LIFE".

I may be overreacting, hang on, i'll check.... No i'm not, this is single-handedly the worst film ever made. The raft scene where the 'baddie' sabotages their escape for his own gain cracks me up, in fact the baddie himself, and the hero and oh god - its wrong. INCLUDING - the shameless attempt to add some plot with the rape pregnancy/suicide attempt part of the plot and even more cringing is the older woman (who only just lost her fella) almost loses her toyboy and falls in love scene - give me strength.

I swear - i would LOVE to meet anyone who liked this film and pay for their psychologist, coz it sucks, it just plain sucks, in the worst way...

(oh and where does the Spanish girl get swordfighting skills from?) pah!


I saw this film on September 22 at the Atlantic Film Festival. I was with some people who had never heard anything heavier than KISS and wouldn't know Black Sabbath from the Black Label Society. It's a mark of this film's excellence that they really enjoyed it and felt they had gained an understanding of the metal scene.

This is no gushing fan-tribute. Well, it is in part, but I couldn't stay objective either were I given the chance to sit down with Bruce Dickinson at the Hammersmith Odeon. Seriously, it rises far above the fulfillment of a metal fan's dreams to explore many different elements of what makes metal both an enduring artform and one that remains on the fringes.

The structure of the film follows distinct topics - Gender, Censorship, Death & Violence, and more. Each area is thoughtfully explored with comments from many musicians and some outside observers. From the calm commentary of Rob Zombie to the wry humour of Dio to the laughable minimalist interviews with Norwegian black-metal players, there's a broad range of experiences and opinions.

This is an excellent documentary in every way.

I knew it was going to be great when I got my first glimpse of the big chart of metal bands that correctly put KISS far away from the actual musicians. Ronnie James Dio further obliged with a running commentary on Gene Simmon's preference for money over music.

You'll get to see and hear a lot of great bands, from the standard warhorses like Maiden, Metallica, Motorhead and Slayer to the less-mainstream stuff like Voivod.


Metal: A head banger's journey

When this documentary starts showing at the multiplexes, it will be the biggest exposure this musical genre would have gotten thus far, aside from a few ridiculous lawsuits that went public throughout the years. The concept itself that mainstream audiences will be learning of everything from Dio's unique opinions on things to Norwegian Black Metal is quite appalling. More importantly, hopefully this documentary will clear once and for all every false doubt and misconception that Metal has always portrayed to the misinformed.

A head banger's journey starts off by examining Metal's roots, the long debate in regards to who was the first Metal band ever. Then, we are taken through an analysis of how metal sub-genres came to exist. Dunn also gives his thoughts about Metal's culture, viewpoints, religious standpoints, the fans and every other aspect of metal. Some of the veterans of the scene as well as some insightful outsiders give their interesting opinions to support the argument at hand. The film balances the serious aspects of Metal with some unintentional humor. Personalities like Alice Cooper, Bruce Dickinson, Alex Webster, Slipknot, Ghaal, Dee Snider, Doro, Ihsahn and many others offer their own individual thoughts in an intellectual way while bands like Mayhem make a fool out of themselves during a drunken interview.

Dunn is a true metal head. It is his passion, yet he gives a critical and sometimes subjective opinion of the music at hand. The documentary is extremely entertaining and informative. It made me proud to be a metal head. It even made me give bands I'm not too fond of another chance. Bottom line is, if you're a Metal fan you'll enjoy this from beginning to end. If you're a curious outsider, here's your chance to understand our world better and get a more defined opinion of our music. And even if you don't, well to quote Dunn at the end: "We're doing just fine without you"


I saw the film today and was mighty impressed. The film captured the buzz in the '80s when heavy metal became the biggest thing going. It was good to see Iron Maiden and Judas Priest contrasted to current bands such as Slipknot to show how the spirit of the genre is thriving. Tony Iommi, Dee Snider and Ronnie James Dio all give standout interviews with Dio's digs at Gene Simmons being especially revealing. It was also great to see '80s curiosities Accept and Quebec's own Voivod being represented. The segment contrasting the grunting, leather-clad bands such as Man O War with the lace-wearing bands such as Poison and Cinderella was unexpected and fascinating. Showing the closeted Rob Halford performing in full cruising gear for a rabid hetero audience was quite poignant. I especially like how the film stresses how the music let its fans dream, cope and find solace. Those like myself, whose interest in metal may have flagged in the intervening years would do well to view it and remind themselves what all of the fuss was about.


I don't like heavy metal music; in fact I hate most heavy metal music. I loved Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. It had all the best components of a good documentary, one of the best released in a long time and a good companion piece on a par with Metallica  Some Kind of Monster.

Co-director Sam Dunn is both a metal aficionado and a student of anthropology. He knew how and where to delve into the culture with a healthy reverence for his subject matter, but with the objectivity to examine in a way that outsiders could glean appreciation. I found it fascinating.

In a systematic, well-structured manner, heavy metal's origins and history were examined, as was the disparity between its followers and detractors. Fans, band members and industry experts were interviewed. The questions and answers were intelligent. Historic file footage was used. The culture and its many sub-genres was analysed. The relationships between heavy metal and gender, sex, religion, Satanism and violence were all covered in a most interesting and enlightening manner.

It was shot on location, including at various concerts, across North America, UK and Europe. I found Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath and Ronnie James Dio of Dio (accredited as the inventor of the devil horn sign) the most compelling interviewees, though there were many others too numerous to mention. The sum of the whole turned out a rich result.

Unlike many documentaries of late, where the primary goal appears to be light entertainment using celebrity heads, this film is truly insightful, intelligent, balanced, educational, funny and entertaining! Whatever your taste in music, I highly recommend it.


Actually, to say that heavy-metal music is just a genre of music is almost insulting in some circles. As someone who's too eclectic to really be solely a metal-head, but has been in the realm of the metal world to see how it goes, I can empathize with Sam Dunn's main intention with the documentary; this music should not be seen as just some goofy, crude, offensive, or dangerous off-shoot of old-time rock n roll (not that the last one doesn't apply in one or two cases). It's to show how personal this music, and how this 'way of life' can be for a person, and how it affects personality but not necessarily in the perceived negative light. Dunn, of course, has his head totally together, which is how he can go head-to-head with metal legends &/or notorious sorts like Tony Iommi, Bruce Dickinson, Lemmy, Alice Cooper, Dee Snider, Dio and Rob Zombie (Geddy Lee is also among the big known interviewees, though it's strange to see him here when he's not really 'metal', at least in league with these guys).

But through him and his collaborators, he is able to get inside not just the off-shoots and specifics of the world of heavy-metal. The look, the style, the attitude, the controversies both domestic (i.e. Dee Snider's battle with Tipper Gore) and foreign (a superlatively done look at the Norwegian black-metal scene, which is both tense and hilarious), the women bands in the world, and how it helps some people really get better on with life either to hear it or play it or, of course, both. Dunn's look is good if, by necessity perhaps too, too brief, as he at one point lists a kind of heavy-metal family tree of sorts- all too quickly to really see every single one- and barely scratches the surface in the 96 minute running time. Maybe there is only so much that can be covered in a feature-length film, but the subject matter serves to be even more looked into; VH1 had also done a heavy-metal documentary, and it lasted four hours. On the other hand, Dunn and his people actually do get some material here that is more precious, and more enlightening. The juxtaposition of the 'true believers' and horrors in Norways black-death-metal scene with a band like Slayer, who are bad to the bone and have fans who go toe limit, is interesting.

It's the kind of documentary that really does work for that it's worth, but not enough of a good thing is explored for fans. Non-fans may get just enough that they can handle, a mix of the basic facts and key points (i.e. the coining of the term 'metal', the roots in the blues, the devil horns, and a look at outrageous album covers). It's good subjective film-making, though edging a little much on trying to get enough history along with the personal history.


I agree with the previous comment.

I saw this movie at an outdoor summer screening in a local park, and it was brilliant to hear the sounds of the metal we know and love pounding out through the park on a Sunday night.

The film was a considered, thoughtful journey through some of the questions that plague the minds of those who aren't part of the metal community. Such as what the fans are like, how they get into metal, why they stay with metal and rarely stray from the various genres that it has. Others include sexuality, girls in metal, and so on.

Each aspect of the documentary was soundly explored, rationally argued, and balanced. For instance, on the one hand you get the perspective of groupies, and then of groupies from bands. You get differing opinions.

In fact, the documentary is a boon for both the metal community and the non-metal community alike. On the one hand, the mettles can revel in the exploration of their community and genres; on the other, the wider community can gain some real insight into the workings of the community.

I must admit that some of the humour that our (predominantly metal) audience felt at the posturing of the Norwegian Black Metal scene, and other parts, the rest of the audience didn't necessarily get. The humour is often something which you must be part of the community to understand, which is why it all appears so serious to the rest of society: they don't get the humour.

All in all, a well-wrought, skillfully crafted, and well argued documentary. Of course there were subgenres and things missing, but you get that with all docos - there just isn't the time to do it. Given the limitations, Metal: a headbanger's journey, makes the most of it and does it well.

Highly recommended viewing.


Opening with the age-old question of what was the first heavy metal song before launching into a metal head's history of the genre this fascinating documentary is a must. With interviews from rock greats like Lemmy, Tomy Iommi, Alice Cooper and Vince Neil to name but a few and concert footage of various heavy bands from Black Sabbath to Slipknot this is a sweaty, mosh pit inducing, bleeding ears look at what heavy metal music is and means to thousands of fans the world over. It is well made, surprisingly funny and brilliantly paced. There were moments in the film when the hairs on my neck stood up as memories were evoked by what I was watching. Seeing Rage Against the Machine performing killing in the name of and all the fans singing along reminded me of when I saw them fourteen years ago in room with no more than a hundred people. You can't beat the feeling of seeing a massive rock concert and the film manages to capture that feeling with the sights and sounds it is almost like you can smell the sweat. The makers also don't shy away from the controversy that has been levelled at the music over the years and delves into the various court cases and why so many believe it's the devils music. Overall it is a thoroughly engaging look at heavy metal and all that encompasses, made by a fan for fans but open to anyone, are you ready to rock?


This was shown during the AFI Festival held in Santa Monica, CA.

Unlike 1988' The Decline II: "The Metal Years" disaster while a big deal at the time, it still remains a brutal "cringe-fest" from start to finish and focused on predominately one style (Glam)one era (The 80s) one location(Sunset Strip) and barely covers the period of Heavy Metal that is STILL alive and well: thrash, black, speed,etc

I would have never guessed that a film about Heavy Metal would take serious the attitudes, styles, individuals,genres and provide a clear history time-line unlike Decline and any others of that ilk.

Don't know when this will come out officially, but hopefully a distributor out there will take notice, even if its headed for the midnight movie circuit.

FEATURED INTERVIEWS: Dio *Iron Maiden * Girlschool * Twisted Sister * Motorhead * Slayer * Rob Zombie* Tony Iommi * Slipknot and more.


As a passionate metalhead I was excited to watch a movie on the subject. It has some cool interviews and the documentary tries to map the metal's evolution from the hard rock beginnings in the 60s to the multitude of subgenres today. It does well with heavy and thrash metal but when it comes to the extremes, it barely touches the surface of styles like the norwegian black metal, and omits important styles such as doom metal, or black metal with folk roots, or "alternative" projects that combine five types of male & female vocals with black metal guitars, heavy metal riffing, flutes, violins, techno/trance rhytms and ambient landscapes all in one song... Metal undeground is very complex and the variety is immense - so it is understandable that fitting all this into 90 minutes borders with the impossible. Yet it is obvious that the author is more knowledgeable about heavy metal than the recent developments in the most extreme realms ever known to the music world. Overall, quite enjoyable!


I surprisingly found this DVD hidden in dark and secluded section of a local DVD store, mostly reserved for B grade flicks, art and indie material. Me being a metal-head myself, was thrilled about watching a documentary that digs into the world's most controversial and "forbidden" style of music/art/life. The experience was a little odd.

The first few seconds into the film, when the all familiar intro of Number of the Beast began, with the clips of metal-heads on screen, I shivered, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I felt something very rare, I felt "I'm at home, baby!" \m/ I won't go ramble on about the things everyone knows. Yes, this film is awesome. It has that rare atmosphere, that only a true metal-head could create, like Sam Dunn. If you are a true rocker, you'll feel in sync with the guy, you'll know what he is talking about and why, but if you aren't into metal, you'll have a hard time understanding some of the meaning.

My biggest problem with this doc, is the same as the others: it's too superficial. For me, it's too much about satanism, gore and torching of churches. For me, metal is not about that. Metal is a form of expression, a way of life. I wanted to see more about metal from around the world.

For an anthropologist, Dunn is far too concerned about the different styles of back and death metal, rather than reviewing metal as a phenomenon and culture around the world. He focuses on the US and Norway, but that is just a little piece of the big picture. What about the rest of Europe? What about eastern metal or other regions of the world? What about the other genres of metal? I wanted to hear more about the different genres, the history and pioneers of each of them...etc, how those evolved and transformed over the years, and who are the artists that made it happen.

In a nutshell, it's too one-sided, too narrow perspective. I know it's only 90 minutes, but it could've been done. Okay, I'm maybe splitting hairs here. I agree, it's a decent documentary, and for such an (pardon the term) amateur team, it's a very good film about metal, but it left me with a nagging feeling of "something's missing", it's somehow not complete, and I guess that's what most people are feeling about this documentary. The interviews are very well done, but with the wrong people. I wanted to hear more big names, more name bands and real pioneers of metal. I know the film is very low-budget, and they probably couldn't pay for an interview with Ozzy, Lars, Joacim Cans or even Serj Tankian, but I really miss those bits from a documentary about metal. Other than that, its a pleasant experience, and I recommend it for every metal-head and non-metal-head out there.


This doc is completely awesome in every way I can think of stuff being awesome. It's not even perfect, and there's some things in this film that I don't like. However, to be honest with you, most of this doc is so informative, and fun to watch that I still consider it to be one of the best documentaries ever made.

First off, let me give Sam Dunn some props. He's a lifelong head-banger himself, so he's as qualified as anyone should need to be to lead this film. I am also a lifelong head-banger. I also had to defend my love of this style of music to my parents, teachers, and friends, so I understand where his interest in this approach to the subject comes from. I'm sure most fans of heavy metal can attest to being faced with similar challenges while growing up, and it was good to see that I am not alone. This was a recurring theme in the film. That if you are a metal fan, you may be told or feel that you are weird, that you're a real outsider, but in fact, you have a lot of allies out there in the world. I also like the fact that Sam Dunn has the educational background he does, and is obviously making something productive and positive out of his life because too many people do write off metal heads as being stupid, low class, criminal, uncultured, and most likely, introverted, out of touch, and mentally unstable. He seems like a real good person in general, a friendly and talented guy, and a good person to be an ambassador for metal heads everywhere.

This doc is an investigative film that asks lots of questions, and it gives lot of answers in return. I can't imagine a true fan of music, no matter what kind, not appreciating the goals of Sam Dunn and his crew in this film. Simply, he was looking to find an answer to why heavy metal music, and it's fans, have been stigmatized and labeled as this horrible thing in our society. This is interesting stuff, and it's about time someone stood up and asked the questions, answered them, and presented it all in a package that no one can discount as being, "low-brow." Metal heads across the globe for over 30 years have been asking this very question, and it's nice to see someone really tackle it like this.

The heavy metal, "tree," is a really cool thing, and while I hate the fact that too many discussions surrounding heavy metal spiral downward into arguments over what sub-genre a certain band does or doesn't fall into, it's a really well thought out visual aid to the film. There is so many great interviews in here, and most of them are from really great people. With only a few exceptions, I agreed with the views of the people being interviewed, but there were a few that left me scratching my head and yelling at the screen. Some of them were way off base, but that's okay, it only serves to bring light to the fact that many people can't, or won't, "get," heavy metal music.

But like Sam Dunn says at the end of the film, "that's okay," and I agree with him completely in that, no matter if other people understand why I love heavy metal so much, the fact is, I do love it and I do, "get it." I'm glad I'm not alone.


METAL: A HEADBANGER'S JOURNEY is probably the best documentary EVER on the Heavy Metal scene. It encompasses virtually all of metal sub-genres like Hard Rock, Glam, Black, Power (although I have trouble with defining this sub genre in particular), death, prog and thrash. The film's mastermind, 31 year old Sam Dunn, does an excellent job dissecting the genre, from its classical and blues origins, to why the Scandinavian black metal scene is so evil. He even goes out of his way to set up a genealogical tree for metal! For the metal fan who enjoys or enjoyed some of the metal sub genres presented here, he/she will be full of ecstasy and for the uninitiated, this is a good place to start. Interviews with SLAYER, MOTLEY CRUE, EMPEROR, IRON MAIDEN, MAYHEM, DIO, BLACK SABBATH, RUSH, SLIPKNOT, KORN, ARCH ENEMY, TWISTED SISTER, etc. will only leave you wanting for more and more. There's a nice flow to the documentary and, in my humble opinion, wasn't bored in the least.

What I didn't like too much was the fact that Sam Dunn barely talks about thrash metal. Yeah, he mentions METALLICA, MEGADETH, and there's the SLAYER interview, but this sub genre is the one that gets least mentioned (taking into account today's biggest metal band, METALLICA, arose from the thrash movement).On the other hand, black metal and death metal receive more film time. Maybe Sam Dunn wanted to leave the thrash part less explored due to the upcoming thrash documentary, "GET THRASHED", which has been in the making for at least 4 years.

Minor complaints aside, this documentary rocks and if you're a fan of the genre you'll do no wrong in getting this essential film in your DVD library. Thrash on!!!


I saw a screening of this on Monday, and although I was pretty skeptical, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It has some flaws, and I'm no fan of a lot of the bands that were interviewed, but for what it is, it's a good movie. The director starts of by telling his own story, why and how he got into this kind of music. Then he travels to places like Germany and Norway to interview people and try to find answers to some of the questions people have about metal. It's weird seeing a documentary about this music, since I can relate so much to some of his experiences and feelings. Like how he always has had to defend metal because most people look down on it as a lesser form of music. And how he just doesn't bother to do it anymore, because if you feel it you feel it, and if you don't, chances are that you never will.

I saw this movie with someone who had a very different approach to it than me. I have been into this kind of music for almost 20 years, and she has never listened to it, but came along because she was curious. We both liked it and got something out of it, so that means they must have done something right. For people not into metal, they might learn something, and they might get their preconceived opinions about the music and it's fans adjusted just a bit. For those of us who are into it, we might not learn too much new during the movie, but we can still sit back and let ourselves be entertained.

8/10.

PS: Cradle Of Filth are NOT Norwegian though ;)


"Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" is an entertaining documentary about Sam Dunn, a Heavy Metal fan trying to find an answer to the question why Metal fans are always outcast by the general public and why Metal itself is often not recognized as a valid form of music. In doing so Dunn categorizes Metal into different subgenres (a process that will always lead to a lot of discussion among fans as proved by the IMDb boards), he tries to find the origins of Metal and divides his survey rather cleverly in chapters like "Religion And Satanism", "Gender And Sexuality" or "Death And Violence".

The results are not really ground breaking. If you ever were into Metal, you'll already know most of the facts presented here. What makes the movie worth watching anyway are the comments by some genre-defining and some underground musicians that have been interviewed. Unfortunately, Sam Dunn couldn't get all the important Metal bands, so he has to do without contributions by Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth or Pantera, which makes "Metal" seem a bit random.

Very rarely are we getting substantial insight into the minds of those who listen to Metal or even contribute half their life to it. An explanation like Metal is always there for you come what may just isn't very enlightening. I mean soccer fans will say the same about soccer, right? So, no, this documentary doesn't tell you things you hadn't already known before, but it helps you to relume your passion about Metal. And the interviews are often quite hilarious. Just watch out for Gaahl, a wine-filled glass of Cognac and the mention of Satan... you'll understand what I mean when you see it!


Sadsentinelwings , I enjoyed your review. Anyone reading your review who are not consumers of metal, will learn that this topic could easily be discussed and debated on any of those Sunday morning political round-table television shows.

That being said, I'm surprised you didn't identify prog metal as a non-metal sub genre. Personally, I love prog metal, especially many of the bands that have emerged from Europe. I hear metal fans (mostly American fans) all the time lament that prog metal isn't true metal. A dark metal fan or power metal fan would claim that prog metal really can't be considered as metal, due to each band member's perspective, motivation, fashion sense and musically elitist attitude; similar to the way that the 70's punks viewed Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Pink Floyd. Personally, I really don't care if its metal or not. Still an interesting discussion.

I would have love to see the prog scene explored. Certainly Mike Portnoy or Daniel Gildenlow would have much more to contribute to the discussion than Rob Zombie or Dee Snyder ever could. Besides, all the footage of the concert audience got old. Some of it could have been trimmed and replaced with a discussion of prog metal and how it differs in both positive and negative ways.

Though I do agree with you on every criticism, I agree that it is one of the best documentaries I've seen. Certainly far better than any of those metal documentaries on VH1, which are truly horrible.


Well what can I say about this masterpiece of a documentary? First: It's a film made by a real metal-head, who has a big knowledge about the best kind of music in the world. Although he is a Die-Hard-Metalfan, he tries to be objective and just to document the heavy metal universe and its origins. This with success! Second: He interviews many important pioneers and members of the scene,like Slayer, Enslaved, Ronnie James Dio,Lemmy from Motörhead... etc. But I think In Flames and Metallica would have been necessary, too. Third: XXXXXXX awesome, Sam Dunn, you rule!

Greetings from a Die-Hard-Metalhead from Metal-Nation Germany!

Philipp


I just saw the screening with the film makers on hand. I wish I could have joined them afterwards at the bar which they invited us all to, but I've gotta work tomorrow. Oh, well.

The film was what I had expected. I wasn't expecting a definitive work on one of my favorite kinds of music but rather what had been touted as a love-letter to heavy metal artists and fans. That it was. It was funny in parts, interesting in parts, not overly educational but all in all just what I had wanted...a longhaired, down-to-earth guy giving an overview of us metalheads and some of the music, bands and metal styles that makes us happy. This was not a corny VH1 type of special but rather a heartfelt tip of the hat to a culture that is still going on with teenagers and with us slightly older folks. The teens get their release at the end of a school day and us older ones get our release when we come home from work. We all crank up the metal.

It is a film that is at once scattered in it's presentation but also held together by it's topic. It has a good enough array of commentary from musicians that keeps the pace flowing well. Most of the musician interviews come with at least one good one-liner making metalheads and non-metalheads grin with or grin at the subject. Specifically, as much of a blip as Twisted Sister was in the 80's (and I am not a fan), I keep noticing through the years that Dee Snider is a very adept, articulate and funny person. In my mind he is probably the best spokesman for the heavy metal community. He had me laughing.

I think this film speaks more to the fact that metal is a release. Some people get it and some people don't, but for some reason it works perfectly to some of us who use the music to let loose, no matter what sub genre we are into. This was a great love-letter to metal for both young and old and I look forward to the DVD with the extra footage.


Over a year ago I saw this documentary at the Melbourne International Film Festival (I think). Not being a headbanger, per se (though I do like some heavy metal), I found this documentary very informative and interesting.

It's presented by avowed "headbanger" (so called for how fans react to this music) Sam Dunn. Now, there is no doubt some interest in a fan-boy waxing lyrical about their favourite things, but what raises this documentary above the average is that Sam Dunn just happens to be a scholar-an anthropologist-thus ensuring that the content is well thought out and articulated.

Of particular fascination to me was the "family tree" diagram featured frequently in this docu of how the various genres of heavy metal relate to each other...that must be the anthropology angle kicking in, I think. When I contacted a site related to this docu, someone mentioned that the DVD of this may have the diagram (or at least future editions would) as a distinct element of the DVD.

The docu covers heavy metal as a genre-it's various sub-branches and its putative father, so to speak. What was particularly good about this was that whilst Dunn did posit who he thought created heavy metal as a genre (Black Sabbath), he does provide video footage of bands which piqued my interest in the subject and which could perhaps be argued to have created the genre themselves. In other words, you don't get a completely biased view of the subject from Dunn.

Many of the legends of the genre are interviewed in this docu-Tommy Iommi from Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Lemmy from Motorhead and Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson. Not being a great fan of Iron Maiden, I must say that Dickinson was a highlight of this docu for his honest and insightful comments on the art of performing.

As there is a school of thought, perhaps, that Metallica are the pinnacle of this genre, they are conspicuous by their large absence from this docu.

I've reviewed some heavy metal albums at Amazon under this id. e.g. Coldseed.


This film was just about perfect. My main complaint would be that it was not long enough.

It is right up there with The Decline of Western Cilvilization: The Metal years and VH1's 4 part series on Metal. If you like punk, then you would enjoy American HardCore as well.

The cool thing about these documentaries is that having grown up when most of these sounds were just kicking in, you get to relive the excitement and fill in a great deal of blanks about what happened behind the scenes.

Sam's next film should be out soon: Global Metal. I look forward to that one as well. The more music documentaries the better!!!!


This is a solid and interesting documentary which I would recommend to everybody who loves Metal but also to people who are not necessarily fans of the genre but have interest in music or underground culture.

What makes this documentary likable and catches the attention is that it combines solid knowledge and research with a personal style. The author declares himself a fan, visits clubs and festival, travels to get interviews and adds his personal touch to the whole story which makes it likable and well documented at the same time.

Sure, the fans of different genres and bands may always have complaints to enter because their favorite flavor of metal or their specific band did not get enough screen time or even omitted. I for example may have liked to hear more full acts of music and I am wondering why Gothic rock did not get some coverage. Yet, we find in the film both an historic thread that is well built, as well as a good coverage of specific subjects and messages like sex, death, violence, etc. that traverse the whole history and different styles in a consistent manner. This documentary if both informational and entertaining.


A thought provoking and interesting documentary about one of the most popular- and controversial- genres of music around today. Discussing topics like religion and sexuality in the world of metal, this features some fascinating interviews with pretty much everyone from Geddy Lee to George Fisher. for those unfamiliar with the genre, or those who consider it "pointless noise", this should hopefully open a few eyes. The director, Sam Dunn, a self confessed headbanger himself, has clearly researched his topic greatly, and whilst the "geneology chart" may need a few tweaks (last time I checked, Cradle of Filth were English, not Norwegian), the footage and interviews provided more than compensate. It addresses the musics critics head on, whilst also providing us with some very funny stories from the lives of its subjects. The interview with Dee Snider about the PMRC is particularly hilarious. And best of all, it has a killer soundtrack.


Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a subjective and interesting look at the many different facets of metal, both the sub-culture and the music.

As we follow anthropologist and self proclaimed metal head, Sam Dunn on his journey through the world of metal we get an unusual insight into this widely misunderstood and intricate sub-culture.

Dunn not only maps out and explains the origins of the huge number of different sub-genres within the genre of metal music (something that all music lovers have probably wondered about at one time or another), but he also travels to places like Germany and Norway in search of many different metal bands and their fans.

There are interviews with everyone from Alice Cooper to Lemmy to Rob Zombie as well as some quite disturbing interviews with a few Norwegian Death Metal bands and a hilarious interview with the very funny Dee Snider from Twisted Sister.

There is indeed quite a deep and interesting flow to this documentary and Dunn not only managers to maintain a subjective and professional roll in his research, but also managers to maintain his integrity as a metal head - this is indeed, a credit to him.

I highly recommend this documentary not only to people who love their metal, but even to people who don't.


A documentary that wears its heart on its sleeves is often a documentary that keeps its eyes on the prize. And just days after viewing the disappointingly cursory "American Hardcore", "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" throws down a challenge in its first scenes when a frazzled youth with a microphone makes sure to add that "punkdoes not belong in this world". Canadian metalhead cum anthropologist, Sam Dunn heads off on a personal odyssey to the United States, Germany, the UK and Norway to interview metal's luminaries and academics with two purposes in mind  to find out why metal has been so maligned and to gauge the obsession it inspires throughout its legion. Dunn angles a new perspective on its self-aware, perceptible fanbase and bands by personalising his journey in a formalised, but never didactic way, of approaching his subjects and interviewees as kindred spirits. He features erudite interviews with the subculture's leading and most influential personalities and accomplishes his first goal by juxtaposing their reasoned, informed views on metal with the irrational fear that advocacy groups have waged battles over. But in one of the film's most harrowing interview sequences, he also concedes that there are some bands that take the transgressive state of their cults of personality too far. Dunn's academic background allows him certain legitimacy and the documentary does try to counter the stigma of a pedagogic structure by employing some innovative and accessible use of the documentary within a documentary footage, accentuating Dunn's individual venture into his lifelong fascination.


When you come to hear a great idea about a movie you usually build a lot of pressure if the outcome is not what you wanted it to be. Metal. The headbangers jorney delivers in every aspect you can look for in a documentary, especially if its about metal music and the people behind it.

Mainly what makes it so good is the simple fact that it was made by a fan, that nows the music inside out. Hearing about the darker times of the genre you start to really think how much Slayer, Metallica, Dio, Children of Bodom, Möntley Crue and which ever was the band you liked meant for you when you where a kid.

For a film to have so much influence on you that i can feel proud of being a Headbanger, Metal kid or whatever its always a great thing. Im not saying that i don't feel proud of who i am. This film just underlines the fact that you are a bit different, but so are the thousand kids behind you screaming as they all reach for the stage devil horns up in the sky.

This movie is great for every metal fan, and if you don't even like the music its still entertaining and builds up you understanding about Metal, Headbanging, and why Norwegian Blac metal stinks. Metal saves lives it doesn't take them.


I was dragged along to a film festival to see this by a mate after he convinced me based solely on a picture of a fat metalhead playing an inflatable pink guitar at an unnamed concert. Thus I was expecting something pretty cheesy and maybe a bit of fun. What a surprise Metal: A Headbangers Journey turned out to be. The guy who made it, Sam Dunn is a anthropologist and metalhead who treats his subject both seriously and with a bit of humour and his love for what he is describing, as well as obviously deep knowledge of the subject, goes a long way to making Metal: AHJ so worthwhile. It has an excellent global rather than US or British focus and covers everything from the roots of metal to all it's various past and present incarnations with almost all of the information coming from either band members themselves, fans or interested third parties from various academic backgrounds. The documentary is divided into sub-sections such as Roots, Controversy, Gender and Satanism and held together by following of our documentarian Sam as he conducts various interviews and visits festivals and countries like a touring band himself. Perhaps the most interesting part was the section on Black Metal, with interviews with both Norwegian church burners and advocates balanced against the Minister of one of said burnt churches without going the easy road into provocations and angry sniping. Every metalhead I know who saw this loved it (although equally everyone has some minor disagreement with the metal family tree Dunn presents) but equally everyone who I made watch it with me who was not into metal came away surprised at how interesting and enjoyable it was. Best moment: Ghaal from Gorgoroth's answer to "What is Black Metal?" (so dead serious but all the more hysterically funny for it). Complaints? Simply too short, even with all the extras on the second disk (many of which are excellent just as stand alone pieces-Lemmy is a highlight here too!) on DVD.


Metal: A Headbanger's journey is a great little documentary about the bands, culture, and public reception of the genre of heavy metal music. It follows a heavy metal fan as he makes his journey to discover more about the culture and reception of his favourite genre. The documentary sees him discussing the history of metal, the culture of metal (fans, looks, drugs/sex/gender, and the hows and whys of metal's reception by the outside world. Helping him are some heavy metal heroes and some amazing characters like Ronnie James Dio, Alice Cooper, Lee Snider, and several members of the 90's Norweigian black metal scene.

The documentary is great in that it is aimed at both fans of heavy metal, but can also be enjoyed by those unfamiliar with the genre. The themes of metal culture, its attitude, its audience, and the controversy surrounding it is the main focus of this documentary, and is something that all viewers can see, understand, and hopefully be interested or enlightened by.

On a deeper level, the movie is full of rewards for the discerning metal fan. As a metal fan, I can recognise good taste which the main character certainly has. For example, he wisely strays away from obvious bands to focus on, like Metallica or Led Zeppelin. He interviews Tommy Iommi, guitarist for Black Sabbath, rather than the more obvious choice in frontman Ozzy Osbourne (whom I believe would not have been as interesting an interviewee). There are plenty of great songs and bands alluded to that a metal/hard rock fan would know and love such as Blue Cheer (truly the first band to make the sound), Rush, Diamond Head, Venom, and others. The death and black metal scenes, often overlooked in mainstream metal, are also given a sizeable chunk of attention in this movie, and their analysis was perhaps the best part of the movie for me.

There are few complaints I would have for this movie. The more obvious complaints would mainly stem from those who have misunderstood the movie's nature. For metal die-hards, yes there will be bands that are not covered here (the melodic death metal scene, for example, is only noted, doom metal is not here), but the documentary serves as an overview rather than an encyclopedia in moving pictures. If there are any complaints they may be aimed at the movie's lack of information in some parts - background information is sometimes omitted or merely said off-handedly, and viewers with no knowledge of the genre or bands may feel lost at a few occasions. In a way, this may serve to pique many viewers' interests and encourage their own investigation into the subject. Either way, the themes of heavy metal culture are the main point here and, as stressed above, will appeal to everyone who has paid to see this film.

Overall, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a great documentary, an accurate guide through heavy metal culture with a man who is obviously well-versed in the subject. The history is great, the interviews are great (and often very funny) and the way it's presented is excellent, fitting a lot of material comfortably in a relatively short running time. So whether you are a metal fan or not, this is required viewing for anyone with even the slightest interest in the genre.


I just finished watching this movie on VH1 Classic, and I'll definitely be getting the DVD tomorrow. Fantastic documentary loaded with interviews with mostly pertinent people. It is well written from a more intellectual, anthropological point of view, but not so high minded as to alienate anyone.

At the end of all this, in the last scene, the writer-director sums up his conclusions, and is followed by sound bites from the various musicians' interviews. This is played over a lingering shot of a crowd at a metal show, moshing, fists pumping in the air, devil horn salutes flying. And playing behind it all is Metallica's Master of Puppets, first the quiet intro - leading into the various movements while the sun glints through the knotted mass of arms. It's a fantastic moment that ties up the entire film and leads into the closing credit sequence that runs up the screen as Metallica's magnum opus builds its inevitable head of steam.

The final analysis was something to the effect of 'either you get it or you don't'. I'm a lifelong metalhead, myself. My impression was that they got it, they understand the soul of it and explained it perfectly. I can't say if it will change any minds, but it's a good thing to watch for those of you getting ready to pass judgments.

Good for headbangers and for the metal-curious.


This documentary could be seen as the first definitive look into the broad world of metal and it certainly does travel throughout the whole (well, most of) spectrum of metal. Sam Dunn gets to live out many a metalheads dream in this, interviewing a number of influential figures and traveling around to various places where sub-genres have been born. Oh and he also seems to be nearly scared to death during the interview with Gorgoroth's Gaahl.

Dunn delivers the birth and rise of various sub-genres in near chronological order and gives enough detail for one to be familiar with each. But, it seems he ventures into territory that just should have been either shortened or left out. For instance: Glam Metal. This portion took up a great deal of time and could've been shortened a good bit to make room for something else. Pop Metal. Now that's just non-sense. That shouldn't have been included at all. As for the most part, the bands are rock. Nu-Metal is one that could have and should have been tossed. Perhaps it's due to a bit of elitism in these veins, but it's just not metal. The term was born from the media to describe a somewhat new form of rock that gathered elements from elsewhere and just happened to have a pretty 'heavy' sound. My biggest gripe though, is the complete absence of Doom Metal. It's a relatively big sub-genre to just leave completely out. Sure, My Dying Bride, the band basically considered responsible for the whole Death/Doom sound was included, but shoved into the 'Gothic Metal' rink. And what the hell was Cradle of Filth doing being listed in Norwegian Black Metal. And if I'm reading wikipedia correctly. How did Nightwish get tossed in there? I sure hope that's a mistake on whoever put the entry up on wikipedia. But oh well, at least that's the only mentioning they really had.

Overall, it's a good release. I just mainly have personal gripes with some of the genre classifications as I know many others have had. I would recommend this documentary to anyone just getting into metal, that's for sure. A little more editing and such would have made this a better release but considering that this is the first real such documentary mass-released on this sort of thing. It's a job done well enough.


This is without a shadow of a doubt the best metal doc. ever to come to our screens. looking back at roots like blues, Rickover vagnars classical influence to the well overlooked blue cheer. to the true beginning black sabbath. showing the ex vs pressy and wife the gore's full front attack on metal and twisted sisters assault back just superb. the doc. stretches as far a gorgoth of Norway discusses Norwegian church burners and the fact that Gene Simmonds painted the phrase OJ. just brilliant.

whether you like love or have metal its worth understanding at a greater level the preconceived. watch it love it hate it just rate it. thank you.


I was pleasantly surprised to hear Lamb of God playing over the intro to this long awaited documentary. I feared another 'hard rock' metal synopsis.

The content range is wide enough to give newcomers a pretty good appreciation of the whole metal family and includes both glam and shock rock '70s/ '80s bands as well as some heavier stuff from Slipnot, Slayer for example.

Having said that, as a more hardcore metalhead I personally have less connection with bands such as Venom or Alice Cooper than the enquiring outsider who may be watching this film out of curiosity. As a result I was a little frustrated at points in the lack of discussion over hallmark acts (Pantera aren't even mentioned(!?!))

Subsequently I think that if this film is intended for people to show to their parents or mates to illustrate metal in general, then it scores highly (although the old story about Satanism and Black Metal is a little over done - we've heard all that before).

If you DO know your metal, the film does little more than make you feel warm inside (the final voice over is quoted excellently!) Personally I watched this film mainly just to make sure that metal was not being defaced on screen as has happened many times before - I have no complaints.


Driving a truckful of posies for a florist seems about as safe an occupation an ex-con could hope for. But for John Payne in Phil Karlson's Kansas City Confidential, it gets him framed for a million-two robbery. His trouble is that you can set a clock by his punctual rounds, and that one of his deliveries coincides with the arrival of the armored car at the bank next door. His comings and goings have been meticulously stop-watched by the mastermind of the heist (Preston Foster), a disgruntled policeman forced into retirement who seeks his weird sort of revenge.

Foster's plan assembles a gang who wear masks during the plotting so they can't recognize one another, or him. Payne's just the innocent fall guy who's thrown to the cops. Those cops try to beat a confession out of him, but it won't stick. He nonetheless loses his job and ends up on the front pages as the prime suspect. So he goes on the earie and follows the robbers (Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef and Neville Brand) down to Mexico, where they're to meet with `Mr. Big' again and divvy up the take.

The spanner in the works proves to be Foster's daughter (Coleen Gray), striking sparks with Payne as he poses as one of the conspirators killed in Tijuana en route to the rendezvous. Gray's an aspiring lawyer in ignorance of daddy's scheme  which is to turn over the robbers, thus rehabilitating himself with the force, and to collect the insurers' reward of $300-large.

Those south-of-the-border resort bungalows, during the noir cycle at any rate, were hotbeds of passion and gunplay. Karlson gives us a little of the former (not his long suit) but plenty of the latter. Over cardgames in the lobby and chance meetings amid the subtropical foliage at night, the unknown players try to sniff one another out and gain whatever edge they can. Their final gathering, aboard a boat called the Manana, shakes out as a crashing intersection of cross-purposes.

Like Dick Powell, Payne started off as a crooner and hoofer, a light leading man (his best remembered role is as Maureen O'Hara's fiancé in Miracle on 34th Street). But in three films under Phil Karlson's direction (plus Robert Florey's in The Crooked Way and Allan Dwan's in Slightly Scarlet), he ended up one of the most convincing ordinary-guy protagonists in the noir cycle. He's tough, all right, but still shows the flop-sweat of fear; and he's smart, too, but because he's forced to be  what he's trying to hang onto is all he's got.

Off-screen, he was even smarter, seeing the potential revenue in color films (like Hell's Island and Slightly Scarlet) when selling to television was at most a pipe dream. But as an actor in the ambiguous world of film noir, he's seldom given the credit he deserves. He's every bit as good as Powell or Glenn Ford, if not quite so emblematic as Humphrey Bogart or Robert Mitchum or Burt Lancaster. Karlson's brutal, accomplished works late in the noir cycle gave Payne his place in the dark sun.


Kansas City Confidential is one of my favorite noir films and films of John Payne. It's one you can watch over and over again and still be entertained.

John Payne is a ex-con who drives a florist truck and one of his usual stops is a delivery next door to a bank. Three masked robbers use the same kind of truck to pull off an armored car heist and Payne is suspected of complicity. It don't help he's an ex-con.

This robbery has been organized a fourth man and the beauty of his scheme is that the robbers all wear masks with him and with each other so that no one can rat anyone out. They're supposed to meet in a small Mexican fishing village for the split.

Payne is freed, but the Kansas City cops are still suspicious. He gets a lead on a possible participant and tracks him down to Mexico. And that's where the fun really starts.

The suspense in Kansas City Confidential is not about who did it. The three robbers are Neville Brand, Jack Elam, and Lee Van Cleef, three of the nastiest dudes in film history. The suspense lies whether Payne can put it all together. As he says to one of them, he's flying blind in this one. After all the men don't even know each other or Mr. Big. The viewer knows all, but I won't say more.

John Payne gives a riveting performance of a desperate man and one you don't leave holding the bag without consequences. This is one of the best noir films ever done, not to be missed.


If you examine any major film or novel or play defects pop up. If the work is worth watching or reading you won't mind them - and if you are considering directing or producing a version of the written work you will find a way to overcome the defect. Most film noir plots do have defects in them. Given how he has romanced his late partner's wife, and how he knows that some of the police (like Barton MacLaine) would like to ruin him, in real life Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade would fully cooperate with the San Francisco police regarding Jerome Cowan's murder in THE MALTESE FALCON. Given the homicidal nature of Lawrence Tierney in BORN TO KILL, Walter Slezak would probably not try to blackmail him and Claire Trevor. In fact, he might find an excuse to drop Esther Howard as a client.

KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL is a taught and exciting film noir at the tail end of the period when such films were being made. Preston Foster is the former head of detectives for the Kansas City Police, who was forced to leave his post because of a change in city political structures that he did not prepare for. He is bitter about this forced retirement, and so he creates a scheme to commit a major armed robbery of a bank, using three low-lifes (Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, and Nevil Brand) as his bandits. But he arranges for them to wear masks when they all meet (he is wearing one too) so that none of them know each other or him. They are given half a playing card as a key of mutual recognition when they are to reunite for the splitting of the money (some six months after the robbery, in a resort in Mexico).

Now, in real life the three convicts would (of course) be dying to know who their partners and boss were. I can't believe they would not make some effort to find out (compare this to Humphrey Bogart's clever way of tracing down Edward G. Robinson's phone number in THE AMAZING DR. CLITTERHOUSE, to see what is more likely to occur). But as this film is going in a different direction, I am willing to suspend my disbelief and just accept that Elam, Van Cleef, and Brand - despite all being thoroughly dangerous and nasty customers - are willing to go along with this witless demand by Foster.

There have been comments made here (understandably) that Foster's attitude to John Payne, accidentally framed by the scheme as being the thief, are not consistent. Actually they are. Foster never intended for the three goons he used to split the money and get away with their shares. He was planning to spring a trap on them - as though he had solved the robbery himself - and so reclaim his job with the Kansas City police. Precisely how he would do this we never learn (presumably he would have somehow killed them before they could identify him by his voice). But his plot miscarries when he gets involved with Payne, seeking to clear himself. Suddenly, watching Payne's involvement (and realizing that Payne has been romancing his daughter (Colleen Gray) he is conscience-stricken. You see, framing Payne was never part of the scheme.

The scenes with Payne are among the best acting that performer ever made. John Payne, in the 1930s and 1940s, was mostly in comedies or in supporting parts, and in many musicals for 20th Century Fox. It was only in the aftermath of his best recalled role (the attorney for Edmund Gwenn in MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET) that he began appearing in off-beat noir regular films or noir westerns. It turned out he was a fully capable performer in negative (or quasi-negative) roles. Here he has the misfortune to be fingered by his ex-convict past, and his chance appearance as the driver of a similar florist van to the one used in the robbery. He gets the third degree from the police, before they find out his alibi is checking out. But the newspapers have plastered his face and history all over the place, so he loses his job and can't get another. He is only able to hang on and locate his first clue with an assist from an old friend who understands what he is going through.

The performance of Foster is good given the odd situation he faces of having set up a scheme to go from a to b to c to d, and finding it is thrown off kilter by something he never intended. I like the performances of Jack Elam, who has a serious drug problem (in the days that drug addiction was rarely discussed in movies - but notice how many "cigarettes" he's smoking, and how he is shaking), and of Lee Van Cleef, as a totally amoral criminal. Elam's death scene (he is unarmed, but by force of habit lunges for a gun that Payne has on his own person, and is shot by the police) is surprisingly sympathetic as he is crying and laughing as he dies. Van Cleef, smart enough to figure out that Payne is not who says he is, is as ready to kill Payne as he might be ready to kill his temporary ally Nevil Brand. Actually, Brand's performance (compared to the others) is not developed. Maybe part was cut. Colleen Gray is wonderfully controlled and sexy as Foster's daughter and Payne's love interest.

For a "B" feature, it gets remarkable strength - comparable to the original THE NARROW MARGIN. I give it a "9" out of a possible "10".


I liked this film but I got spoiled with the first 20-30 minutes. It started off so intense that I thought this was going to be fantastic: an incredibly edgy film noir. It still wound up good overall, but it never lived up to that great beginning.

The story slows down a bit once the scene shifts from the heist in Kansas City to the rendezvous of the bandits down in Mexico. It has as a full lulls here and there but still does enough things right to keep your interest.

What it does is right is emphasize two things that a good film noir provides: tension and paranoia. All the crooks are assembled in one spot but only the boss knows who the others are. They don't know what any of the gang members look like since all of the thieves had to wear masks throughout the planning and execution of the crime. However, since the boss hired them, he knows them all. Also, down in Mexico, the good guy in the film, "Joe Rolfe" (John Payne) is an impostor, pretending he's "Peter Harris," one of the crooks who got caught by the cops and knocked off just before heading south. Rolfe doesn't know, however, that the boss knows he's a phony. Payne's character got unfairly fingered in the robbery so he's down there trying to clear his name. All of this may sound complicated, but it isn't once you watch the film. Suffice to say it's interesting to see how all these guys slowly figure out who's who.

I thought "Tim Foster," played by Preston Foster, was the best character in the film, probably because he was right in the middle of everything. He was a bitter ex-cop and the brains behind the whole scheme, which could easily have been pulled off . He was just wasn't lucky, because he had a great plan.

One of the people he had to fool was his daughter, who surprises him down in Mexico and further complicates the situation. Colleen Gray plays "Helen Foster," but she doesn't really come into the story much until the last half hour. Her character did one implausible thing after another, things NO woman would do and softened the rough edges of this movie, which was a mistake. "Helen" wasn't even needed in this film. It would have been better as a straight male- only tough film noir.

Speaking of tough: how about this "Rogue's gallery:" Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef and Neville Brand? Now there are three good faces for this genre of film. They were the other gang members

There are a number of holes in this story, but you have to ignore them and go along for the ride which, for the most part, is a good one. It's recommended for all film noir buffs.


This is a suspenseful, atmospheric film noir that is well worth checking out. I'd only seen Payne in musicals, but here he has a real understated intensity as a World War II vet out to clear his name. (In looks and affect he bears a resemblance to Kevin Spacey.) Preston Foster and a young Lee Van Cleef fill out the nest-of-vipers cast nicely. The wordless opening sequence is especially well done.


This is an exceptional Film Noir movie that almost merits a score of 9--it's THAT good. Like good Noir, it features some of the ugliest and scariest actors and I applaud the producers for finding such a motley group! Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef and Neville Brand are definitely the ugliest and toughest looking heavies of the age and here they all work together on a heist. The movie also stars John Payne and Preston Foster. While these two guys weren't as hideous as the other three, they were both well past their handsome prime--hence they were great Noir characters! In addition, the film is bloody and violent--definite pluses for Noir. While this may sound like Noir films are super-violent, they were compared to the average picture of the day but pale in comparison to more recent films. I like them because they are so gritty and realistic in their blunt portrayal of crime. In this case, watching John Payne slap the snot out of Van Cleef is an amazing scene. As for the plot, it's amazingly complex and interesting. So good, in fact, that I don't want to talk about the heist--lest if ruin the suspense. Suffice to say, it's well worth seeing with great writing, acting and all the elements you are looking for in Noir. A must-see for lovers of Noir.


In Kansas City, the criminals Peter Harris (Jack Elam), Boyd Kane (Neville Brand) and Tony Romano (Lee Van Cleef) are individually hired by a stranger (Preston Foster) that plots the robbery of an armored car after receiving the money from a bank in the next door of a flower shop. However, each one of them wears masks and does not know the identities of the others; therefore they can not recognize each other. They succeed in the heist of 1.2 million dollars and escape in a van of the Western Florists, and the mentor of the robbery gives tickets to them to travel abroad, promising to share the money later. Meanwhile the decorated soldier and ex-con driver of the Western Florists van Joe Rolfe (John Payne) that is delivering flowers in the shop is framed. He is accused of participating of the heist, arrested and tortured by the police, loses his job, and when the police recognizes the mistake, he is released. Unemployed, he discovers that Peter Harris went to Tijuana, and he decides to chase the criminal and request one fifth of the amount.

"Kansas City Confidential" is a great film-noir, with a good story and development of the characters. John Payne has an excellent performance in the role of a former war hero that tries to have a straight life after some gambling problems, but is framed, loses his job and the rest of his honor and sees his picture in the front page of the news, becoming impossible to find a new job. This injustice triggers his search for the real criminals, not seeking for justice, but a share of the money. The characters, with the exception of the sweet Helen Foster, have some sort of amoral behavior, as usual in this genre. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Os 4 Desconhecidos" ("The 4 Unknown")


What a burst of casting inspiration-- three premier baddies, Elam, Brand, and Van Cleef all together in the same film, menacing the heck out of a vengeful John Payne. Elam should have gotten extra pay since everybody and his brother knocks the skinny wild-eyed guy around. Actually, for awhile I thought the movie was one long cigarette commercial or at least a chain-smokers' revival meeting. Speaking of casting, Preston Foster really delivers in a sly role that runs the gamut from tough-talking mastermind to nice-guy fisherman, all in convincing fashion.

"Kansas City" is, I believe, the first and clearly the best of a number of "Confidential" films made during the mid-fifties. For example, note the unusually brutal cop interrogation of fall-guy Payne. Keep in mind, this was during a Cold War time when the TV mega-hit "Dragnet" was professionalizing law enforcement's image nation-wide. Here, however, we get quite a different picture that certainly goes beyond the norm of the day. In fact, director Karlson, like noir filmmaker Anthony Mann, built a reputation for emphasizing the raw nature of thuggish violence, at least as much as the censors would allow. And this is certainly one of the more graphically brutal films of the era.

All in all, it's a fine imaginative script, with a number of unconventional surprises. The robbery is cleverly plotted along with the get-away. I like the way the screenplay parcels out needed information instead of laying it all out at the beginning. That way, viewer interest is kept up since a new wrinkle might pop up at any moment. Even pretty girl Colleen Gray's part is nicely woven in at the end, after I thought she was just a romantic interest. I guess Dona Drake's role was a touch of local color or a favor to somebody since she adds nothing to the plot, but apparently her Mexican girl does sell more than just souvenirs.

There are echoes from this movie in such later caper films as The Killing, Plunder Road, and Mark Steven's underrated Timetable. Some might consider this a noir film since Payne is trapped by unseen forces through no fault of his own. Nonetheless, other traditional noir elements are noticeably absent, such as the angular shadows of expressionist lighting and the lack of a customary spider woman. But it doesn't really matter how the movie's categorized because it remains something of a sleeper with a number of genuine surprises.


Timothy Foster, forced into retirement as a cop. But the years of experience of catching criminals that made mistakes which lead to their being caught has given Foster a perfect plan for an "1,200,000" heist. His crew always wears masks so no one "except for Foster" knows the identity of anyone. Go to different parts of the world and no one spending the "hot" money until each of the four members divide the money are planned by Foster. Find a "patsy" Joe Rolfe played by John Payne, an ex-con that drives a flower truck, but have a duplicate flower truck for the real heist and let the police follow and arrest Rolfe thereby allowing the criminals time to leave the city. All time schedules timed to the minute of the armored car. Everything works to perfection but one thing that Foster did not figure on, Rolfe setting out to track down the real criminals and clear himself. This leads to Mexico. Another thing Foster cannot predict is the his own daughter falling in love with Rolfe. Is this enough to ruin the perfect plan? Watch and find out and you will be surprised by the ending.


What else can be added regarding this solid noir? This was the first time I had seen Payne in a "serious" role, and I was not disappointed. All of the heavies were good, but I particularly liked Van Cleef and Brand (the latter with his magnificently pock-marked face). Loved the opening scene where the women in New Look dresses, and the gents with suits and fedoras are waiting in front of the bank. My favorite piece of dialog is when one cop says to Payne's character, Rolfe, "... left school to enlist with the engineers. Pretty good soldier too! Bronze Star, Purple Heart!" Rolfe answers, "Try and buy a cup of coffee with them!" Kind of sums up the way many noir male characters felt about the cards that life had dealt them. Thoroughly enjoyable film!


This vaulted to the top of my list of favorite films noir the second it was over.

This truly stylish and excellent little crime thriller stars John Payne as an ex-con who's framed for being involved with a bank robbery he had nothing to do with. Fueled by a sense of wronged justice, he tracks down the real culprits, who have met down in Mexico for the money exchange. The plot gets much more intricate than that, though, when it turns out that the boss of the operation, an ex-cop gone bad, is planning to double cross the other members of the team and collect the reward money for himself. And it gets more intricate when Payne falls for the boss's daughter, who has come down to visit him at his tropical getaway.

Many of the usual noir touches are present in this film: the anti-hero who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time; the hard-boiled tough-guy patter; the blurred lines between the law and the criminals. The film clips by at a tense pace, and it's an awful lot of fun.

Grade: A


Film noir at its best. All of the positive comments by other reviewers are accurate regarding the acting, directing and appropriately flawed "noir tale" script. John Payne is a textbook noir guy -- just out of prison, tormented, misunderstood and kicked around by the cops (who do not come out smelling good in this story) and a terrible trio of criminals. Add to that extraordinary film noir visual effects. This is exemplary film noir. The framed-in, claustrophobic scenes actually made me short of breath. The scene on the boat at the end is classic, and probably the prototype for subsequent scenes in other movies and TV shows. It reminded me of the Sopranos episode where Tony & Co. killed Big Pussy. The robbers in their creepy masks were so interesting to study that I watched that part several times. It reminded me of Kabuki theater. A real box of candy for noir connoisseurs. I recommend it highly.


A tense, compact crime picture (not really a noir, but they're calling everything noir these days) about a man framed for a robbery he didn't commit, and how he goes after the bad guys at a Mexican resort. John Payne plays the put-upon leading role in his usual keyed up, hyper-virile manner, and while I would not call him a charming actor, he was capable in the kind of modest tale. Coleen Gray is his love interest, and proficient in a thankless part. The trio of bad guys,--Neville Brand, Jack Elam and Lee Van Cleef--are as manna from heaven in this sort of film, and are, as always, fun to watch. Preston Foster's easygoing warmth is nicely utilized in a major role. His somewhat vague personality and amiable nature make him a more agreeable character than the putative hero of John Payne. Phil Karlson directed the film with his trademark paranoid edge, and the high contrast black and white photography makes the movie if nothing else a pleasure to watch.


Bitter ex-cop Tim Foster (expertly played with consummate steely resolve by Preston Foster) is still fuming about his forced early retirement, so he decides to get his revenge by devising a fiendishly clever perfect caper. Foster forces three despicable low-life hoodlums -- jittery compulsive gambler Pete Harris (lanky Jack Elam), sleazy womanizing heel Tony Romano (snaky Lee Van Cleef) and surly gum-chewing brute Boyd Kane (burly Neville Brand) -- to pull off a bold $1,200,000 bank heist. Foster cruelly sets up rugged, resourceful and resilient innocent ex-con Joe Rolfe (a strong and sympathetic performance by John Payne) as a fall guy in a wicked ploy to buy time to successfully escape the country with the hot loot. After he gets sprung from jail due to lack of evidence, Joe puts himself in considerable jeopardy by obsessively tracking down Foster and his pernicious flunkies in order to clear his name.

Phil Karlson's sharp, assured and stylish direction, working from a smart, complex and absorbing script by George Bruce and Harry Essex, further aided by George E. Diskant's stark, shadowy black and white photography and Paul Santell's brooding, moody, rousing score, skillfully crafts a diabolically arresting and hard-boiled little nugget of a gritty crime noir thriller: the brisk pace never lets up for a minute, the nerve-wracking suspense is well-maintained from start to finish, the tone is suitably grim and serious, and the tense, bleak, seedy and sinister atmosphere seethes with danger and corruption. The film's principal winning hand is the truly inspired and on the money casting of resolutely scrappy and unglamorous character actors Elam, Brand and Van Cleef as three of the foulest, meanest, ugliest and most menacing no-account criminal scum to ever scowl, growl and glower their way across the screen; Brand and Van Cleef in particular make for a fabulously nasty and odious pair of scary customers. Colleen Gray adds substantial spunky charm and vigor as a feisty aspiring lady lawyer who befriends Joe. Slightly marred by a rather sappy conclusion, "Kansas City Confidential" overall still rates highly as the authentic gnarly noir article.


John Payne is driving his nice Chevy van filled with flowers and minding his own business when some peeping Tom decides to use him for less than legal purposes. That rascally Preston Foster is a smart bad guy with a plan to rob the bank.

This movie should have been called "Four Kings." You will see why when you watch it. "Four Kings and a Queen" would be even better. "Kansas City Confidential" is OK, but it would not become a magnet that attracted people into the theater.

Excellent performances by John Payne, Preston Foster, Jack Elam, Neville Brand and Lee Van Cleef. Coleen Gray does her part very well, also. She reminds me somewhat of a Gale Storm with the perky, happy quality usually not found in a gangster flick.

This one could definitely be remade with a great cast today and it should do well. The story is solid. The few plot holes are minor and do not make us wonder.

The musical score is also excellent. I was impressed with the camera work throughout. One scene in particular lets us see some guys getting onto a boat while we could still watch a nice old Mercury woody wagon and its occupant in the background. Many great 40s and early 50s vehicles here.

A really good 50s B&W film.

Tom Willett


Excellent B-movie crime caper story with an A-movie complex twist pulled by the caper's Mr. Big, Preston Foster as Mr. "Foster"(how creative!). All the stereotypical movie bad/tough guys you love to hate are here...Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, and Neville Brand in typically bad guy roles, and all were tough and great and threatening. Hey, that must be what got them their reps!

Suffice to say, Foster as Mr. Big had it all figured to take everything in the end with all the others involved in the caper losing out, that's all of the story I'll tell, but it played out quite tense in spots. John Payne was the good bad guy with exotic Collen Gray as "the love interest", stuck in the story more or less to make sure that romance-loving gals bought tickets too. Payne wore 3" lifts to get him up to John Wayne/Bob Mitchum height so he would look the hero part better and he puffed up to his full lift's height more than once when confronting the 3 Bad Men. He played his B-film Bob Mitchum role here pretty well, but Foster and the 3 Bad Men were the best things in the story with Foster the best of the bunch in his forceful and convincing role. Gray had only a small supporting role but really sparkled when she was flirting with "her man" of the future.

One of the best B-noirs and right up there with most A's, but not up to the level of The Asphalt Jungle, The Killers, or Out of The Past. Those are the very best noirs, but this one is well worth seeing.


Good job turned in by all concerned. Solid acting jobs help put this film over, which contains several neat plot turns. There are also a few plot contrivances and remarkable coincidences which have to be overcome, but it's easy in this case since the rest of the picture works so well - just go with it, or 'key flow', as they say in football.

John Payne and Preston Foster turn in first-rate jobs despite the drop in class to a "B", and Lee Van Cleef and Jack Elam are in top form as 'bad guys'.Colleen Gray is lovely but adds 20 minutes to the proceedings as the love interest - and the picture really didn't need a love interest or 20 extra minutes. Overall, a very good effort well worth seeing.


"Dark Alibi" director Phil Karlson's "Kansas City Confidential" qualifies as a crisply-made, smartly-plotted, entertaining heist caper about the perfect crime. This imaginative, 1952 release from United Artists and producer Edward Small about an innocent man framed for a robbery that he didn't commit teems with interesting characters, a seasoned cast, edgy predicaments, and a fine resolution. Good guy John Payne musters considerable credibility as the flawed protagonist who is punished for the crime, while a dream cast of classic heavies--Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, and Neville Brandenjoy their ill-gotten gains until our hero can pay them back with interest. "Red River's" Coleen Gray plays Payne's love interest, but her character is strictly peripheral in the greater scheme of the action. Yes, she does figure into the plot, but she isn't front and center like the rest of the cast, including Preston Foster as the mastermind of the a million dollar hold-up.

"Narrow Margin" lenser George E. Diskant's moody black & white photography is first-rate, and several camera angles stand out, enhancing the thrills and chills. Rowland Brown and Harold Bruce provided the basis for the story, while Harry Essex and George Bruce penned the tightly-knit screenplay with uncredited assistance from both Karlson and Payne. Clocking in at a trim 99 minutes, "Kansas City Confidential" doesn't squander a second and never wears out its welcome. Moreover, some commentators have described it as a film noir entry when it really isn't film noir. The interesting thing is that Karlson's crime thriller seems a little ahead of its time with its post-modern spin on events. The cops are portrayed as pretty ruthless and the mastermind has a back story that makes him a tragic character. All in all, "Kansas City Confidential" delivers more than the usual 1952 thriller about a robbery.

The film opens with this foreword: "In the police annuals of Kansas City are written lurid chapters of criminals apprehended and brought to punishment. But it is the purpose of this picture to expose the amazing operations of a man who conceived and executed a 'perfect crime,' the true solution of which is not entered in any case history, and could well be entitled 'Kansas City Confidential.'" The action occurs in three parts. The mastermind checks his plan. He has decided to rob an armored car as the cops tote the money sacks out to the vehicle. A florist truck usually parks near where the armored car is parked. The florist delivery man, Joe Rolfe (John Payne of "Tripoli"), parks his truck and takes flowers into a building. The mastermind, Tim Foster (Preston Foster of "Guadalcanal Diary"), has been planning the heist fastidiously as a close-up reveals a time table of events he has made. For example, he notes the times that police squad cars cruise past, the arrival and departure of the Western Florist Delivery truck as well as the Bank Armored cars. Foster has timed everything at least five times for pin-point accuracy. He has calculated that he will need between two and four minutes to pull the job. He picks three criminals, Pete Harris (Jack Elam of "The Comancheros") a trigger-happy, chain-smoking, dice gambler; ladies man Tommy Romano (Lee Van Cleef of "High Noon") who is a habitual criminal, and Boyd Kane (Neville Brand of "Riot in Cell Block 3") a cop killer who chews bubble-gum.

The second part involves the bank hold-up. As Foster has planned it, the criminals slip up beside the armored car and in unless than four minutes, they appropriate the money bags and hightail with one guard snapping off a couple of rounds at them. Predictably, the Kansas City cops pull over Joe, search his florist delivery truck, and haul him off to the station for some police brutality. Eventually, the authorities discover the abandoned florist delivery truck, but by then Joe has lost his job. "Thanks for nothing," he utters contemptuously.

We learn that Joe fought in World War II hero and saved a man's life on Iwo Jima. Joe's grateful pal provides Joe with a tip about Harris' whereabouts through a third party. What Joe doesn't realize until he catches up with shifty-eyed Jack Elam is that Foster planned the crime wearing a mask. He almost entrusted each criminal enough money to leave the country until he thinks thing have cooled down enough to divide the loot. None of them knows what Foster looks like and they don't know what the others look like because Foster forced them to always wear masks in front of each other. "I've made you cop-proof and stool-pigeon proof," Foster brags. He gives them each a tore playing card in case he doesn't make it to the split-up. Later, Tijuana authorities get the drop on Harris as Joe and he are about to leave for the Central American hamlet of Borados. Harris tries to shoot his way out and dies. Somehow, Joe appropriates Harris' luggage with the mask and the torn poker card that Foster gave each of them.

What sets "Kansas City Confidential" apart from most B-pictures about the perfect crime is mastermind Tim Foster's motivation. He spent 20 years on the KCPD and he was forced to retire because of politics. He engineers this perfect crime so that he can weasel his way back into the good graces of the department. Even his daughter has figured out a way for him to get another shot at being a cop. However, Foster has gone beyond the point of no return. Nevertheless, he almost pulls it off. Tracking down Foster and company is no picnic for Joe, but he manages to clear himself in the end rather neatly. Karlson does an outstanding job pacing this little thriller and revealing only a bit at a time. The scene where Joe loses his revolver at the swimming pool and finds himself pitting against Kane and Romano in his bungalow is terrific.

"Kansas City Confidential" is worth watching again and again.