The Wonderful World of TCM: Crime of Passion (1954)

WARNING: I'll be discussing the "spoiling" of this movie by my programming guide, and in doing so, I will myself be spoiling it thoroughly.

Crime of Passion is a decent if unspectacular noir. This 1957 Gerd-Oswald-directed film is about...Well, why don't I share the summary in the FIOS listings:

A woman stoops to murder in order to advance her husband's career with the police.


Well, yeah, that happens...more than 2/3 of the way into the movie! Talk about giving it away!

OK, I will grant that the movie is called "Crime of Passion," not "Manipulations and Schemes of Passion," which is what the story features up to that point. And granted, the woman in question is clearly an ambitious, tough cookie from the get-go, maybe one even capable of extremes. And granted, said woman is played by Barbara Stanwyck, which is kind of an indicator in itself.

But still. This plot description takes the key moment of "Crime of Passion" and presents it before you even get a chance to process all those clues and figure out the inevitable sequence of events. It's kind of a big deal because the movie doesn't really pick up until that murder is committed.

Maybe this is how the original marketing went: Let people know what's gonna happen and bring 'em in that way. "Ladies and gentlemen, we ask that you please reveal the last 20 minutes of 'Crime of Passion' to your friends.'"

There are some other interesting aspects of the flick the relatively frank depiction of sexuality being one. When Stanwyck and new hubby cop Sterling Hayden get married, there's a nice moment where she tells him she won't need many clothes on their honeymoon. Then, as Babs carries out her plan to get Sterling elevated in the department, she sleeps with a big-shot inspector played by Raymond Burr. I don't know about you, but the thought of a Stanwyck-Burr boudoir pairing kind of staggers me.

But overall, the movie just isn't that compelling until that murder, as Babs offs Burr. Stanwyck's character isn't her most memorable, and Hayden's is frustratingly mild. Business does pick up then, but I still think it presents a squandered opportunity. The event should happen way earlier in the film and give us more time to observe the dramatic tension as Hayden investigates Stanwyck's crime. Will he find out? What will he do?

There's some potential here, but in reality it unfolds quickly, with the drama between the two leads replaced by Hayden going all "CSI" and using, you know, forensics and stuff to discover the truth.

As I watched "Crime of Passion," I thought it played out in predictable fashion, but how can I be sure? After all, I read it all before I even recorded it, thanks to the ever-helpful FIOS on-screen programming guide.