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Johnny O'Clock

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6.2/10 • 43

1947-01-071h 35m

CrimeDrama

Johnny Played Rough With Women Who Played Cute!

When an employee at an illegal gambling den dies suspiciously, her sister, Nancy, looks into the situation and falls for Johnny O'Clock, a suave partner in the underground casino. Selfish and non-committal by nature, Johnny slowly begins to return Nancy's affection and decides to run away with her, but conflict within his business threatens their plans. As Johnny tries to distance himself from the casino, his shady past comes back to haunt him.

Directors
Robert Rossen
Editors
Warren Low

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Dick Powell

    Dick Powell

    Johnny O'Clock

  2. Evelyn Keyes

    Evelyn Keyes

    Nancy Hobson

  3. Lee J. Cobb

    Lee J. Cobb

    Inspector Koch

  4. Ellen Drew

    Ellen Drew

    Nelle Marchettis

  5. Nina Foch

    Nina Foch

    Harriet Hobson

  6. Thomas Gomez

    Thomas Gomez

    Pete Marchettis

  7. John Kellogg

    John Kellogg

    Charlie

  8. Jim Bannon

    Jim Bannon

    Chuck Blayden

  9. Mabel Paige

    Mabel Paige

    Slatternly Woman Tenant

Reviews2

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Feb 20, 2017

7/10

You play very cute, and nasty! Johnny O'Clock has everything under control. He has a partnership in a thriving casino and all his little peccadilloes are at ease in his world. Then things start to go awry, his partnership with Marchettis comes under severe pressure on account of Mrs Marchettis' dalliances, and worst of all, the hat check girl he had a soft spot for has turned up dead. Johnny is feeling the heat, from every corner of his world it seems. At the time of writing this, Johnny O' Clock has under ten reviews written on IMDb and barely 200 votes cast, one can only assume that Johnny is badly under seen! Without knowing the issues of accessibility on TV and DVD, it may just be that this little noir treasure has slipped through the net of many a genre observer. Without pushing the boundaries of noir and its devilish off shoots, it's a film with all the necessary noir components in place, a tightly accomplished film that definitely deserves a bigger audience. The plot, though very basic in the context of the genre/style it sits in (thus making it easy enough for the casual viewer to enjoy), is a series of double (triple) crosses smothered in a delicate hint of aromatic femme fatale. Throw in crooked and grizzly bear like coppers, get Robert Rossen to make it his directorial debut, and ask Burnett Guffey to photograph it, and you got a lovely helping of noirish stew. All you then ask for is your cast to come up trumps, and thankfully they do. Dick Powell plays Johnny O'Clock with the right blend of dapper charm and cool calm toughness, Lee J Cobb (grizzly bear copper), Thomas Gomez (Pete Marchettis) and John Kellogg (the muscle) all play it tough without over egging the pudding. The girls are nicely played by Evelyn Keyes ("99 River Street" & "The Seven Year Itch"), Ellen Drew ("The Man from Colorado") and the delicious Nina Foch ("The Ten Commandments") - with Drew showing definite shades of Hayworth at times - though only shades mind! It's not a dark picture and those hoping for a head scratcher will be sorely disappointed, and I would be a liar if I said that I didn't think the ending needed a more dramatic punch. But I'll be damned if this wasn't a most enjoyable experience, twisty and turny without making the head spin for sake's sake, "Johnny O'clock" is well worth your time. Time! Get it? Groan. 7/10

Media

  • Johnny O'Clock poster
  • Johnny O'Clock poster
  • Johnny O'Clock poster
  • Johnny O'Clock poster
  • Johnny O'Clock poster
  • Johnny O'Clock poster
  • Johnny O'Clock poster
  • Johnny O'Clock poster
  • Johnny O'Clock poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
$1,750,000.00
Keywords
gamblingfilm noirclub