Homicide (1949)

What seems like a routine suicide sparks the interest of a Los Angeles police detective (Robert Douglas). Delving further into the case leads him to the heart of Southern California's farm country and a murder cover up. Directed by Felix Jacoves,  this noir-ish crime drama has an interesting narrative but is undone by some very weak casting. As the tough talking L.A. cop, Robert Douglas comes across as Ronald Colman giving a Humphrey Bogart impersonation. He's just not leading man material. Douglas would grow a mustache and excel at playing bad types in movies like THE FOUNTAINHEAD and THE FLAME AND THE ARROW but here he's out on a limb. Robert Alda as the bartender and part time assassin fares much better. It should have been much better than it is. Jacoves who directed only one other movie brings no style or sense of urgency to the proceedings. With Helen Westcott, Warren Douglas and Esther Howard who comes as close to stealing the movie as anybody.