Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Claudio Carvalho The criminals "Doc" Penny (Ted de Corsia), Ben Hastings (Charles Bronson) and Gat Morgan (Ned Young) escape from San Quentin and kill a police officer while robbing a gas-station. However Morgan is shot and left behind by his partners. He seeks shelter with the former inmate Steve Lacey (Gene Nelson), who is paroled and starting a new life with his wife Ellen Lacey (Phyllis Kirk) and working as airplane mechanic. Lacey asks him to go away but Morgan tells that he has summoned the former Dr. Otto Hessler (Jay Novello) to treat him. When Hessler arrives, he realizes that Morgan is dead and flees from the apartment. Lacey calls his parole officer Daniel O'Keefe (James Bell) while the sleazy Detective Lieutenant Sims (Sterling Hayden) arrives at his home following his instincts. Lacey is arrested for three days but O'Keefe believes him and keeps his job. When Lacey returns home, "Doc" and Ben surprisingly arrive and threaten Ellen to force Lacey to participate in a bank heist. What will Steve Lacey do?"Crime Wave" is an excellent film-noir with the story of a man trying to start a new life and haunted by his former cellmates. The cinematography in black and white is impressive and very beautiful. The direction of André De Toth is perfect and Sterling Hayden has an amazing performance in the role of a tough homicide detective. Indeed all the cast has also great performance. The beauty of Phyllis Kirk is highlighted by her role and by the cinematography. My vote is nine. Title (Brazil): "Cidade Tenebrosa" ("Tenebrous City")

Spikeopath Crime Wave is directed by Andre De Toth and adapted to screenplay by Bernard Gordon, Crane Wilbur and Richard Wormser from the story "Criminal's Mark" written by John and Ward Hawkins. It stars Sterling Hayden, Gene Nelson, Phyllis Kirk, Ted de Corsia, Charles Bronson, Jay Novello and Timothy Carey. Music is by David Buttolph and cinematography by Bert Glennon. Ex-convict Steve Lacey (Nelson) finds himself reluctantly dragged into illegal activities when old criminal associates come calling and hold his wife Ellen (Kirk) hostage. Driven and unmerciful Detective Lieutenant Sims (Hayden) doesn't believe criminals can reform and goes after Steve with hard-nosed prejudice, putting the Lacey's well being in great jeopardy. Tough as old hobnail boots, Crime Wave is a noir caper awash with moral ambiguities and reformation quandaries. Set to the backdrop of a sweaty Los Angeles populated by grizzled coppers and psychotic thugs, de Toth marshals a fine cast through a screenplay ripe with interesting characters afforded quirky and beefy dialogue. The director, backed by top cinematographer Glennon, utilise the L.A. locations to the full, giving the plot a gritty realism that was often missing in other 1950s caper movies. Ace card in the pack is Hayden, given full license by de Toth, he stomps around like a toothpick chewing bear with a sore head, you do not want this Sterling Hayden on your case! Kirk deserves plaudits as well, as the fulcrum femme, she has to contend with not only Hayden's bullying of her husband, but also the mucky attentions of de Corsia's gang, headed by a wonderfully leering Bronson, she shifts through the emotional gears without histrionics and the characterisation is more believable because of it. Truth is is that all the cast work well under their director's guidance, even Carey's hyper attention seeking sits well in the context of the film's noir peccadilloes. A well stocked noir stew, boosted considerably by fine direction (why didn't de Toth do more noir?) and Hayden being on iconic form. 7.5/10

GManfred I love the Film-Noir genre - I really do, it's my favorite. But too many films get credit for inclusion in the category when it's not deserved or it does not fit. "Crime Wave" is little more than a melodrama and a tedious one at that.Most of the action takes place in the first 10 minutes and the last 5. 3 guys knock over a gas station and shoot the policeman who stops by to investigate the suspicious goings-on. Then the picture bogs down as a potboiler-talkathon for the next hour as the gang take Gene Nelson and his wife, Phyllis Kirk, as semi-hostages. Location shooting was sloppy as crowds of onlookers can be seen in the background in outdoor shots.Did not notice any Film-Noir touches except for Sterling Hayden - but he was a cop in this one. No dark, wet alleyways, no honky-tonk night clubs and no ambiguity of intent...and not a lot of action. The narrative itself is too simplistic for a film-noir. Now, take "Out Of The Past" - THAT was a noir film.As is, "Crime Wave" is an OK way to pass 75 minutes, but it will not be a rewarding 75 minutes.

MisterWhiplash Crime Wave has the makings for something quite simple as a movie. Its story is about cops and criminals and a few ordinary folks trying to get by. A few criminals (the main ones played by Ted de Corsia and a young Charles Bronson) are out of San Quentin and shoot a gas station attendant and cop. On the lam they hold up with also ex-con Steve Lacey (decent leading man Gene Nelson) with his wife, but what they don't know is that he's already been tapped by the cops, specifically Sterling Hayden's Detective Sims, who is so hard-nosed he could cut through bricks with just a stare and some tough words. It all leads up to one of those heists that just can't go right for the bad guys, but what about the good couple caught in the middle? It is fairly straightforward, and it could have been in other hands. But there's something about Andre De Toth, as director, that stands Crime Wave out as a piece of lean noir cuisine. The way it's shot is one thing, as his European influence comes through in a lot of the exteriors and his way of utilizing natural lighting and real locations, or just how he has someone like a room that looks too real like Sims' office. His camera has a distinct tone to it even when sets or usual shots in moving cars have to be done, and it cuts through the BS and keeps one riveted even as one knows what's going to happen (the last couple of minutes with Sims and the Lacey's are one of them).It also can't be stressed how awesome an actor Sterling Hayden is. In everything he just brings that "umph" that is required whether it's to a hoodlum or a psychotic or a corrupt cop, and in Crime Wave his authority as a presence (six foot five inches) and his pattern of speech play off well against the rest of the usual character actors, save maybe for Charles Bronson since he too is unique even at a young age and creepy character actor Timothy Carey as the man put on watch of Mrs. Lacey. Overall, Crime Wave is a procedural that snaps and crackles and pops for 72 minutes and allows fans of classic film noir to soak up the atmosphere and have a good time seeing the coppers close in on the crooks who, as almost always is the case, don't stand a chance.