A brutal crime film that punches and kicks its way into audiences' unsuspecting faces. Foster is an embittered former Kansas City policeman who slides into the criminal life and sets in motion a delicately engineered armored car robbery. Foster employs a trio of felons--Brand, Van Cleef,
and Elam--to assist him, by blackmailing them with incriminating evidence. To assure that the robbery will be "perfect," Foster has the three wear masks in order to keep their identities secret even from each other. The heist goes off as planned, as far as Foster is aware. Police, however, pick up
a suspect, Payne, an embittered ex-con who happened to be driving a van similar to the one used in the getaway. Payne is angered at being so nearly framed and leaves Kansas City in search of the real crooks. After combing the underworld for clues, Payne finds himself south of the border on the
trail of one of the criminals. He pounds some answers out of his victim, leaving him to be killed by the town police. Payne, seizing a golden opportunity, assumes the dead man's identity. He soon finds himself falling for Gray, the alluring, lonely daughter of Foster. Payne manages to finagle his
way into a meeting with the secret gang members, where the truth behind Foster's shady ways finally surfaces (he plans to rat on his accomplices and then collect the reward money being offered by the insurance company). Payne intervenes and bursts of gunfire are exchanged. When the smoke clears,
the mysterious accomplices lie dead, as does Foster. The police arrive on the scene with Gray in tow. To save face for Gray, Payne falsifies his story and credits Foster with helping him round up the gang. Gray, of course, is duly impressed and gives herself to the heroic Payne.
KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL is noteworthy chiefly for the gritty and violent underworld vision of director Karlson, the immediacy of the semi-documentary cinematography, and the complexity of its characters. In the tradition of film noir, both hero Payne and antihero Foster have a dark side to their
personalities. Payne is a refugee from underworld life who, by the finale, has surfaced on the side of the law (though only partly; he still is sympathetic to Foster's involvement). Foster, on the other hand, has begun as a policeman and, in his attempt to embarrass the Kansas City police, has
taken a fatal step into the underworld. A stark crime expose that is well worth a viewing. leave a comment
