Murder Is My Beat Reviews

A body is found--its head in a fireplace, completely burned so that identification is impossible. Payton, a nightclub singer, is arrested by cops Shayne and Langton and eventually convicted for the murder, though she maintains her innocence. When Langton escorts her to prison on a train, she sees the man she supposedly killed through the window. Langton believes her and the two leap off the train to find him. After a fruitless search, they find Roberts, Payton's former roommate, living at a hotel under an assumed name. Payton disappears and Shayne wants to arrest Langton, who pleads to be given 24 hours to solve the case. They find the supposed victim (Gordon), the owner of a local ceramics works. It is discovered that he had fallen in love with Payton and hired a private detective to follow her around. But when the detective threatened to blackmail Gordon by telling his wife (Royle), Gordon killed him and pinned the murder on Payton. After his arrest, Roberts is killed by Royle, following another blackmail attempt. Payton, meanwhile, turns herself over to the authorities but is freed to marry Langton. This quirky mystery rises above melodrama through intelligent and creative direction. Ulmer distorts the story with his use of flashback, jump-cutting (predating Godard's classic gangster homage BREATHLESS), and few establishing shots. Payton's performance leaves the viewer guessing: Is she really innocent or is she guilty? Her characterization is purposefully bland, and therefore all the more ambiguous. Though by no means a great example of film noir, this film is definitely worth seeing. Its use of technique to improve an otherwise formula story should be studied by any aspiring filmmaker.