Disappointing 5th volume from Warners feels like a step too far with seemingly no material left that could be regarded as pukka noir.
For the record
Armored Car Robbery(1950)My reason for buying the set.Charles McGraw plays a determined cop out to avenge his partner's death by catching criminal mastermind William Talman.Highly regarded cult item has it's moments and exterior work plus Talman are excellent but McGraw surprisingly doesn't convince.He and director Fleischer would fare far better 2 yrs later with the brilliant Narrow Margin.
Backfire(1950)Unconvincing soaper has super cast(Virginia Mayo, Viveca Lindfors, Edmond O'Brien)pretty much wasted in a tepid missing person mystery.Hardly noir.
Cornered (1945)Hollywood vet Edward Dmytryk delivers a well turned tale of revenge with Dick Powell on top form as a pilot scouring Buenos Aires for the man he holds responsible for the death of his wife during WW2.Quite exciting well cast drama.
Crime In the Streets(1956)Early social drama from Don Siegel centres on teen murderer John Cassavetes and the fallout from his crime.Notable cast includes Sal Mineo and Mark Rydell as Cassavetes chums and is more social commentary than noir.A bit too long as well.
Desperate(1947)Lesser Anthony Mann is noirish albeit a little too tidy and with a happy ending to boot.Independent trucker Steve Brodie finds himself on the run after a gang of crooks use his truck against his wishes for a robbery that goes wrong.Passable on the whole with Raymond Burr particularly effective as gang boss.The scene in Brodie's lodgings with the "final meal"is suitably tense.
Dial 1119(1950) At 75 minutes this ok suspenser concerning a mad killer holding a bunch of bar patrons hostage is the pick of the bunch with decent tension generated throughout.
Deadline at Dawn(1946)Pedigree Source(Cornell Woolrich)and adaptor(Clifford Odets)together with the always excellent Susan Hayward just about keep this tale of dopey sailor suspected of murder from falling on it's backside.Brooding atmosphere helps somewhat but this is tepid stuff.
Phenix City Story(1955)The underrated(well by me anyway)Phil Karlson keeps this faintly noirish docu style tale of crusading lawyer returning home to clean up his old town well paced with Richard Kiley and John McIntire struting their stuff to good effect.
Coming with no extras worthy of the name,Vol 5 is a threadbare affair and feels like the end of Warners efforts in this area.This studio which has put out some excellent noir/gangster boxsets(almost all R1)in the past has blundered here with a very indifferent set.
Vols 1 and 2 of this series are essential purchases,Vols 3 and 4 are worthy and Vol 5 should strictly be avoided.
![Film Noir Collection [DVD]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/713+KPa+AmL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
![Noir Archive Volume 3: 1957-1960 (9-film Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81suCnTNTyL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
![Great British Movies - Film Noir [DVD] [1940]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ib9MlVrdL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)

![Film Noir 10-Movie Spotlight Collection [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51wGlLlAwXL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
![Four Film Noir Classics [Blu-ray]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71PuRQ1QD1L._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
![Film Noir Collection [DVD] [1944]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71kDZ+-xZHL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
![The Film Noir Collection - Hollow Triumph (The Scar) [DVD] [1948]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71Fg4svkmAL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
