I wonder if we will ever see a true "B-noir" festival ever again...we've goosed Eddie into a rarified concept, and Elliot Lavine seems to be semi-retired.
If it ever happens, this would be a fun one to include...Mark Fertig had a lot to say about this one, and we'll reprint his entire review of BUNCO SQUAD a bit later, but here's the gist:
Most B pictures rely on contrivances stacked on top of one another and outrageous coincidences too. Bunco Squad is no different, yet it’s all done so smoothly you’ll hardly notice and surely won’t care. It borrows one of the quintessential devices of the caper picture to great effect: that of the criminal who builds a crew and executes a clever plan; except in this case it’s not a heist but a swindle the crooks have in mind. There’s nothing spectacular about the story or the cast, and its noir credentials are tepid. But Bunco Squad is a crackerjack crime movie anyway. It’s polished, well constructed, features a ton of on-location L.A. exteriors and surprising special effects. It goes a long way towards reminding us that not all mid-century crime movies were filmed in the noir style, and that such films shouldn’t be dismissed--or forgotten.
And the film had a really spiffy six-sheet poster to boot:
Responses