Roger Moore Movie:

Editorial Review:
Tightly plotted and perfectly cast, Kansas City Confidential is film noir at its finest. An obvious influence on Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, this riveting 99-minute potboiler builds its escalating suspense on the fate of reformed ex-con Joe Rolfe (John Payne), whose floral delivery truck matches a duplicate truck used in a Kansas City bank heist. Joe's been randomly framed by disgruntled, double-crossing ex-cop Tim Foster (Preston Foster) who masterminded the robbery, and in an effort to clear his name, Joe follows a trail of suspicion to a Mexican hideaway, where Foster's accomplices (a sublimely hardboiled trio played by Lee Van Cleef, Neville Brand, and Jack Elam) have gathered to split their $1.2 million haul. Under Phil Karlson's skillful direction, this nerve-twitching scenario unfolds as a clever case of hidden and assumed identities (having worn masks during the heist and getaway, none of the robbers knows the others' identities), and Payne gives a smart, sweaty-browed performance as a hard-luck case who finds time for romance with Foster's daughter (Coleen Gray) as he struggles to turn his fate around. For noir lovers, this movie's pure bliss as Brand, Van Cleef, and especially Elam fill the screen with slimy greed and infectious mistrust. As an iconic example of gritty film noir, Kansas City Confidential remains exciting, unpredictable, and thoroughly entertaining. --Jeff Shannon

Kansas City Confidential Reviews:
The good guy gets the dame and the money
2009-05-26 - It may have elements of film noir, but fall guy, Joe the florist played, by Mr Payne, gets the dame and the money in the end, so I question categorising it as noir. Solid moving making yes. Good acting yes. Effective use of close ups, yes (nothing like Me Elam filling the screen with his expressive features).... a satisfying film.

Great Crime Story
2009-03-09 - I acquired this title with an inexpensive Film Noir set I purchased a few years ago and finally got around to watching it. This is a great crime drama. I don't consider it noir in the fullest degree, like say, Double Indemnity or Scarlet Street, but it holds your interest. The style of masks the criminals wear were an interesting addition to the film - I highly recommend this one.

Good, But Tough To Live Up To That Opening
2009-03-04 - 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.

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.

Coleen Gray plays "Helen Foster," but she doesn't really come into the story much until the last half hour. I mention her because 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

Despite a number of flaws, this DVD is recommended for all film noir buffs, especially now that it has finally been given a good DVD transfer!


Pleasantly surprised!
2009-02-17 - My recent purchase of one of my all time favorite movies, "Kansas City Confidential" through Amazon.com was one of my wiser entertainment purchases. It arrived earlier than expected in great condition and the price was much better than another well-known purveyor of entertainment over the internet. In fact, I was so satisfied that I will use Amazon for future movie pu rchases as I have used them for years for my book buys. Believe this: you won't fret over the product you get!

Kansas City here I come !
2009-01-17 - Love John Payne and this tight little film noir movie, as it has every thing expected from noir.
Had the crappy Alpha copy, but plan on getting the newer MGM version soon !