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13 West Street

1962, Movie, NR, 80 mins

13 West Street: Review

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In one of his final films, Ladd is a man of violence. He plays an aerospace engineer attacked by a gang of toughs on his way home from work one evening. He quickly recovers from his injuries but becomes exasperated when the cop assigned to the case, Steiger, is too slow in rounding up suspects. Ladd takes the law into his own hands by beginning his own investigation. His single-minded zealousness forces him to lose his job, but he pursues his investigation until Callan, the rich young punk who led the attack, hears about it. When one of his fellow gang members commits suicide, Callan decides to get revenge. He breaks into Ladd's home and terrorizes Ladd's wife, Dorn. When the private detective Ladd has hired to trace the gang dies, Ladd goes over the edge. He breaks into the home of Callan's socialite mother and attacks Callan, coming within moments of killing him with his bare hands. Ladd comes to his senses and realizes this attack is no different from the original one. He turns the boy over to Steiger, leaving the authorities to handle the crime. This is a film of mixed quality. The direction builds the violent tension to the climactic finish with intelligence and skill. Unlike other vigilante films, this is not a clear-cut good guys vs. bad guys drama, but a statement about the capacity for violence within all men. Ladd's performance, however, was not one of his best. Though he maintained a strong screen presence, his portrayal was less than convincing. Gone was the crisp style that had made his name in the 1940s, replaced with an almost tired performance that doesn't quite fit the character. While 13 WEST STREET may not be Ladd's best picture, the movie's film noir style nonetheless works well with the story. leave a comment
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