Too Late for Tears (1949)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Dreadfully Boring

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I agree w/many people here... "Too Late for Tears" (aka: Killer Bait) is one of my fave noir flicks. Though beautiful, Liz Scott's slightly off kilter features often gave her a slightly venal look which hurt her in the Hollywood starlet sweepstakes but match up perfectly with the role of Jane Palmer, without question her best ever. We watch with fascination and a growing tingle of terror as she transforms from a mousy, dissatisfied housewife into an overpowering, absolutely lethal femme fatale before our very eyes, grinding both husband Arthur Kennedy and mobster Dan Duryea to powder along the way. By the time she heads for the border we know she could gobble up the various men she meets on the trip like road snacks if they gave her half a chance. This rare gem was hard to find in the pre-digital age but is still a must see for any noir fan!

Don't expect the tear-jerker the title might lead you to anticipate. To paraphrase Godard, all you need for a film noir is Lizabeth Scott with a gun in her handbag, and that's what you get here.Visually the film isn't actually terribly noirish, since much of the action takes place in the modest but well-lit little apartment occupied by honest working stiff Arthur Kennedy and his wannabe Queen Bee wife Lizabeth Scott. However, since Ms. Scott's extraordinary face framed by a sleek blonde bob is a prominent visual motif throughout the film, there are enough images of her framed by cameraman William Mellor in a succession of chic high-collared suits to inspire plenty of paintings by Richard Hamilton.In a narrative that anticipates Sam Raimi's 'A Simple Plan', Kennedy and Scott have predictably differing ideas about what to do with a suitcase containing $60,000 in untraceable notes that unexpectedly lands on their car seat. Not long afterwards Dan Duryea at his scariest wearing an obnoxious little bow-tie comes calling wanting his money back, before learning too late - like Tony Perkins in 'Pretty Poison' - that he's in way out of his depth with a true criminal sociopath like Ms. Scott.There's a lot of talk; but as scripted by Roy Huggins (who later created 'The Fugitive' and 'The Rockford Files') it's good talk, and the interaction and development of the characters builds to a most satisfyingly conclusion to which little clues have been discreetly sown along the way. The characters of the man introducing himself as Kennedy's former war buddy, and Kennedy's sister herself who lives across the landing - played by Don Defore and Kristine Miller - don't at first seem terribly interesting but grow to confound expectations.All the acting is good, with the possible exception of Ms. Scott herself, who's a bit one-note, but isn't really required to do much except look like Lizabeth Scott, which she does to perfection. Aged only 26, she already looks as if she's had her face lifted about half a dozen times; but on her it looks good!

Lizabeth Scott plays a dissatisfied wife in the Hollywood area, up to her neck in bills and jealous of friends living better than she, who sees a satchel of blackmail loot as an easy way out of her turmoil. Honest husband Arthur Kennedy hopes to turn the money in after it was mistakenly tossed in the couple's car, but Scott has other plans (the most immediate of which is the purchase of a new fur jacket!). Based on a magazine story, this hot-headed melodrama manages some interesting bits and pieces but is nearly done in by its ultra low budget. Scott, her taut little face accentuated by dark brows and heavy lipstick, enunciates in a breathy voice throughout, turning the flirtatious charm on and off like a switch. She's a curious femme fatale, but one who seems easily ruffled or tripped up. Dan Duryea (who amusingly resembles Willam H. Macy) is the slovenly dupe who comes looking for the money, while stodgy Don DeFore says he's an old buddy of Kennedy's but has a different angle (which turns out to be quite a stretch, even for a bottom-drawer thriller!). The Los Angeles milieu is fascinating, as are some of Scott's predicaments--though this may be the only noir in history to use a glass of milk as a red herring for murder! Not a bad B-flick, one that moves at a fast clip and doesn't sentimentalize its characters. **1/2 from ****

I have recently read a long overdue restoration is under consideration for this wicked film noir. Lizabeth Scott plays a middle-class housewife who turns into a cold blooded killer when a bundle of money literally drops into her lap. This a very gritty story with Lizabeth Scott, who gives a mesmerizing performance as one of film noir's wickedest femme fatales ever. Even Dan Duryea's sleazy character is no match for this malevolent woman, obsessed with keeping the found fortune for herself. She bumps off husband Arthur Kennedy pretty quick, and eventually poisons the menacing Duryea. But she still has to deal with a suspicious sister-in-law Kristine Miller and a snoopy questioning Don Defore. Too Late for Tears is the quintessential film noir, full of treachery, backstabbing, murder and sleaze. Lizabeth Scott definitely deserves the title " Queen of Noir." If you enjoy a dark noir story, this film certainly fits the bill.