The Bribe (1949)

Under MGM’s workman like direction by Robert Z. Leonard (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE), we get an ambient, solid noir-ish thriller that was “immortalized” by Carl Reiner’s DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID which used generous portions of the film’s plot in its loving comedic homage to film noir. A government agent (Robert Taylor) is sent down to a small Latin American island where stolen U.S. government property is being trafficked. The suspects are plenty: a sultry expatriate nightclub singer (Ava Gardner), her alcoholic husband (John Hodiak), a sweating bum (Charles Laughton) and a dubious businessman (Vincent Price). Oscar winning cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberg's (GIGI) photography makes excellent use of B&W while Miklos Rozsa, an old hand at scoring noir films, provides the suitably intense score.