The Big Night

Stanley Ellin is a fine writer and Joseph Losey can be a superb director, but together they are dreadful in this mean-spirited film of revenge. Barrymore is a teenager who watches Foster, his father, get beaten by St. John. Barrymore eventually gets to St. John, a gunshot is fired, St. John goes down. Barrymore races home, cops come, Dad accepts the blame, tells officers that he did it. Then we learn that St. John is the recipient of only a flesh wound and all is forgiven. The only reason to see this movie is for the curious performance of Dorothy Comingore as Julie. Comingore, you may recall, played one of the pivotal characters in CITIZEN KANE and almost disappea...