(NOIR) Black Angel - 1946 *****

I was utterly gripped by this film noir. June Vincent was excellent as the smouldering wife of a wrongly accused man, who teams up with the husband of the murdered woman to clear her husband's name. Doing so means that everything is at stake, and they have no idea who to trust, and who actually is the real killer. I'm becoming a huge fan of Dan Duryea. I remember a film critic talking about how right he was for film noir a long time ago but at that stage I had never heard of him. Now everytime I see him in one of these films I have to agree. He's shifty, but can be charming, slimy, but totally elegant, and completely a part of shadows and cigarette smoke. He merges in perfectly. He's the standout for this movie, with June Vincent (the cross between Ann Todd and Veronica Lake) and Peter Lorre taking second place. One of the better noirs.