High Tide (1947)

The editor (Lee Tracy) of a newspaper hires a former employee (Don Castle) turned private investigator to protect him during an ongoing power struggle at the paper. But what at first seems a simple bodyguard job soon turns into a tale of double crosses, deceit and murder. Based on the short story INSIDE JOB by Raoul Whitfield and directed by John Reinhardt (THE GUILTY). I was hoping this would be another B film noir sleeper waiting to be discovered but I was disappointed. It's indifferently acted but its main problem is an often incoherent script. It was a struggle to hold my interest but it was mercifully short at one hour and 12 minutes. Noir fans might be willing to give it a pass but the movie lacks style, atmosphere, a good femme fatale and a bit of irony. All the glue that hold a good film noir together. With Julie Bishop, Anabel Shaw, Regis Toomey and Argentina Brunetti.