Search

Black Hand

1950, Movie, NR, 92 mins

Black Hand: Review

starstarstarstar
An unusual film for Kelly, whose fortunes had dipped at MGM before he came back as a superstar with blockbusters like SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. To keep him busy, the studio produced THE BLACK HAND, one of the first films to take on the Mafia, although the script cautiously sets the time at the turn of the century and confines the criminal activities to NYC's "Little Italy." Organized secret groups terrorize their own by demanding money and threatening to blow up pushcarts and shops, always signing the extortion notes with an ink-coated handprint, hence the notorious "Black Hand." Kelly's father, a conscientious Italian lawyer, is murdered by Black Handers. His mother takes him back to Italy where he grows to manhood, then returns to NYC to seek vengeance on his father's killers. Kelly intends to become a lawyer like his father; he goes to night school while working but fails to gather enough evidence on the gang until Naish, a NYC police inspector (the role based on real-life Lt. Joseph Petrosino) works with him. Several Black Handers are put away, but to imprison the bosses, Naish must go to Naples to gather more information, which he does. He realizes that he is marked for death so he mails the vital letter to Kelly in NYC before being killed. (This is exactly what happened to Petrosino, but he went to Palermo, Sicily, to investigate the Mafia, not the Black Hand, and was murdered on the night of March 12, 1909, as he waited for an informant to meet him at the base of the Garibaldi Statue in Piazza Marina in the heart of Palermo, felled by more than 100 bullets fired at him from the darkness.) The letter mailed by Naish is sought after by both Kelly and the Black Handers, which leads Kelly into a wild fight with boss Lawrence, whom he beats up, then drags to the authorities after an explosion almost kills both of them. Thorpe directs in a taut style that maintains the tension, and Kelly is excellent as the Italian youth, while Naish gives one of his best character essays. Though of Irish ancestry, Naish was especially adept at Italian dialects and roles, with a long run in the radio series, "Life with Luigi." Kelly's beautiful girl friend, Teresa Celli, was one of the many Italian talents recruited for this production. She is excellent, but, oddly, after making three more films that same year, disappeared from the screen. Vogel's lensing and Colombo's score present just the right atmosphere and sound. leave a comment
Advertisement

Shop

Five On The Black Hand Side
Buy Five On The Black Hand Side from Amazon.com
From MGM (Video & DVD) (DVD)
Average Customer Review: nostarnostarnostarnostarhalfstar
Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy New: $13.49

more Black Hand products

Advertisement

Related Websites

You might be also interested in the following websites:

Most Popular TV Shows

  1. NCIS
  2. Dancing with the Stars
  3. The Game
  4. Biggest Loser
  5. American Idol
more popular tv shows

Most Popular Celebrities

  1. Morgan Freeman
  2. Tiger Woods
  3. Drew Barrymore
  4. Jake Gyllenhaal
  5. Robert De Niro
more popular celebrities

Most Popular Movies

  1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
  2. The Blind Side
  3. 2012
  4. Old Dogs
  5. A Christmas Carol
more popular movies

Top Videos

  1. Late Show with David Letterman
  2. Glee
  3. The View
  4. Monk
  5. The View
more top videos