Calcutta (1947)

When a cargo pilot (Alan Ladd) flying between China and India finds out his close friend (John Whitney) has been murdered, he takes it upon himself to find out who killed him. Directed by John Farrow (THE BIG CLOCK), this is a nifty piece of film noir with Alan Ladd returning to the tough guy mode that made him a star in THIS GUN FOR HIRE. He's not above ripping a necklace off a babe or slapping a dame around to get information. For that reason, it takes a bit of time to warm up to him. But he's really good here in a role that doesn't tax his acting ability but plays up to what he does best. I've always preferred the deep freeze Ladd of noir and crime movies to his good guy parts like SHANE. It's an absorbing movie and everyone is a suspect no matter how benign they seem. The doe eyed Gail Russell and the likable June Duprez (THIEF OF BAGDAD) make for lovely femme fatales and the art department does an excellent job of creating the bustling Calcutta on the Paramount backlot. With William Bendix, Lowell Gilmore, Paul Singh, Benson Fong and the marvelous Edith King (sort of a female Sydney Greenstreet), who only made 4 other movies and comes as close to stealing the movie as anyone.