This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Michael Curtiz’s Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), one of the defining gangster films of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Starring James Cagney, Pat O’Brien and Humphrey Bogart and written by John Wexley and Warren Duff, Angels with Dirty Faces is much more than a conventional gangster movie. It combines crime drama with social commentary, exploring the consequences of violence and the allure of criminal celebrity.

But is the film really all it's cracked up to be?

In this episode, your cinematic sleuths investigate James Cagney’s iconic performance as Rocky Sullivan, Pat O’Brien’s Father Jerry and Humphrey Bogart’s supporting role as lawyer James Frazier, and whether the Dead End Kids are more trouble then their worth.

And, of course, we examine one of the most famous and debated endings in classic Hollywood cinema.

Directed by: Michael Curtiz

Cinema Sleuths (Formerly Mean Streets) is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth 

Edited by Luke Deckard 

Theme song by Luke Deckard 

Logo by  Phil Dragash 

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951), one of the most celebrated psychological thrillers in cinema history.

Starring Farley Granger, Ruth Roman and Robert Walker, the film begins when tennis player Guy Haines meets the charming but deeply disturbed Bruno Antony on a train. Bruno proposes a seemingly perfect crime: they each murder someone the other wants out of the way, leaving neither with an obvious motive.

But did Hitchcock do justice to Patricia Highsmith’s novel? Was Raymond Chandler and Hitchcock a match made in heaven?

In this episode, your cinematic sleuths investigate the complicated behind the scene drama and whether Hitchcock's film about obsession, voyeurism, doubles and chance, became an classic film noir! 

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

ft guest cinema sleuth, author and Financial Times critic, Barry Forshaw

Cinema Sleuths (Formerly Mean Streets) is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth 

Edited by Luke Deckard 

Theme song by Luke Deckard 

Logo by  Phil Dragash 

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

In this episode, your cinematic sleuths investigate this unusual 1970s adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's novel The Dain Curse, looking at James Coburn’s performance as the Continental Op, E.W. Swackhamer’s direction and the challenges of translating Hammett’s dense, atmospheric detective fiction to television.

We explore how this miniseries was botched and condensed into a 3hr film and whether it does justice to Hammett's novel.

Directed by: E.W. Swackhamer

Cinema Sleuths (Formerly Mean Streets) is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth 

Edited by Luke Deckard 

Theme song by Luke Deckard 

Logo by  Phil Dragash 

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive (2011), the acclaimed neo-noir crime thriller starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks.

Based on the novel by James Sallis, Drive follows an unnamed Hollywood stunt driver and getaway driver who becomes caught in a violent criminal conspiracy after agreeing to help protect his neighbour and her young son.

In this episode, your cinematic sleuths put Drive under the magnifying glass. We explore Drive’s 80s-inspired aesthetic, synth soundtrack, neon-soaked Los Angeles setting, minimalist storytelling, brutal violence and classic noir influences, while examining how Refn transforms a relatively simple crime story into a stylish and atmospheric character study.

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn

Cinema Sleuths (Formerly Mean Streets) is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth 

Edited by Luke Deckard 

Theme song by Luke Deckard 

Logo by  Phil Dragash 

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

Welcome to Sin City — where the streets are dirty, the criminals are ruthless, and nobody gets out clean.

This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s Sin City (2005), the groundbreaking neo-noir crime movie that brought Miller’s graphic novels to life in unforgettable style.

Starring Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson and an enormous ensemble cast, Sin City weaves together multiple stories of murder, revenge, corruption, violence and survival in the brutal streets of Basin City.

Based on Frank Miller’s Sin City graphic novels. In this episode, your cinematic sleuths investigate what makes Sin City such a distinctive neo-noir film. We explore Robert Rodriguez's approach to "adapting" the graphic novel, the film’s extraordinary visual style and why Frank Miller has such a prominent credit. 

We examine the performances of Mickey Rourke’s Marv, Bruce Willis’s Hartigan and Clive Owen’s Dwight, as well as the film’s memorable supporting characters, brutal action and interconnected stories.

We also ask whether Sin City remains one of the most visually ambitious crime movies of the 2000s, but whether it really balances the story in a way audences can properly engage.

Directed by: Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller

Cinema Sleuths (Formerly Mean Streets) is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth 

Edited by Luke Deckard 

Theme song by Luke Deckard 

Logo by  Phil Dragash 

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

Bond is back!

This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Terence Young’s From Russia with Love (1963), the second James Bond film starring Sean Connery as 007.

Starring Sean Connery, Robert Shaw and Lotte Lenya, From Russia with Love sends Bond to Istanbul on a dangerous mission involving a Soviet cryptographic device, SPECTRE, international espionage and a deadly assassin.

Often regarded as one of the finest films in the James Bond franchise, From Russia with Love blends spy thriller, action, romance, and Cold War espionage, with a more grounded tone than many Bond films that followed.

In this episode, your cinematic sleuths investigate what makes From Russia with Love such an enduring 1960s spy movie. We examine Sean Connery’s performance as James Bond, Robert Shaw’s chilling Red Grant and Lotte Lenya’s unforgettable Rosa Klebb.

We explore Terence Young’s direction, the film’s Istanbul locations, train sequence, fight choreography, suspense and espionage plot, while looking at how the movie helped establish the formula that would define the James Bond series.

We also ask whether From Russia with Love is actually the best Sean Connery Bond film — and whether its emphasis on character, tension and espionage makes it more effective than the larger-than-life adventures that came later.

Directed by: Terence Young

Special Guests: the agents of SpyHards Podcast, Scott and Cam, to help investigate this spy-noir classic! 

Cinema Sleuths (Formerly Mean Streets) is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth 

Edited by Luke Deckard 

Theme song by Luke Deckard 

Logo by  Phil Dragash 

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

High school. Film noir. A murder mystery. And a bunch of kids playing roles.

This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Rian Johnson’s Brick (2005), the acclaimed high school neo-noir starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Noah Fleiss, Lukas Haas and Emilie de Ravin.

Set in an ordinary California high school but told through the language of hard-boiled detective fiction, Brick follows Brendan Frye, a solitary student who plunges into a dangerous investigation after his former girlfriend is found dead.

What follows is a labyrinth of murder, drugs, deception, school gangs and secret identities and milk and cookies, as Brendan attempts to navigate a criminal underworld hiding in plain sight.

In this episode, we explore Rian Johnson’s inventive decision to transplant the conventions of classic film noir into a modern high school setting, from the hard-boiled dialogue and femme fatales to the mysterious crime boss and isolated detective. The film’s unusual visual style, its complex mystery and the influence of classic detective movies and writers such as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.

We also ask whether Brick remains one of the most original crime movies of the 2000s — and whether Rian Johnson’s debut gave us one of the most unusual detective stories in modern cinema.

Directed by: Rian Johnson

Cinema Sleuths (Formerly Mean Streets) is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth 

Edited by Luke Deckard 

Theme song by Luke Deckard 

Logo by  Phil Dragash 

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

What's in THIS box?!

This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Robert Aldrich’s Kiss Me Deadly (1955), one of the most explosive and influential films of the classic film noir era.

Starring Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer, alongside Paul Stewart, Albert Dekker, Marian Carr, Gaby Rodgers and Cloris Leachman, Kiss Me Deadly follows hard-boiled private detective Mike Hammer after he picks up a mysterious woman on a deserted road. What begins as a seemingly straightforward investigation quickly spirals into a violent conspiracy involving murder, organised crime and a mysterious package that everyone wants.

Based on Mickey Spillane’s 1952 novel, Kiss Me Deadly takes the traditional private-eye movie and pushes it into the atomic age.

Directed by: Robert Aldrich

Your cinematic sleuths are back at it! During the festive season, your sleuths are taking a break from the usual deep dives and giving you five essential TV detectives each that they regard as ones you cannot miss.

Your cinematic sleuths are back at it! During the festive season, your sleuths are taking a break from the usual deep dives and giving you five essential noir pictures each that they regard as ones you cannot miss.