I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Lack of good storyline.

An Exercise In Nonsense

Admirable film.

I am a huge fan of Montgomery.He starred in two of my all time favorite films, Here Comes Mr. Jordan and The Lady in the Lake (which he also directed).Here he both stars and directs but unfortunately that is not enough. Films in border towns turned out to be the kiss of death for adventurous Hollywood producers. Even Charlton Heston tried one (actually playing a Mexican!) and it almost ruined his career.Montgomery has personality, star power, and directing chops to spare. But again, just not enough. The film never gets moving and the faux Mexican overlay (here Wanda Hendrix puts on heavy makeup to play the Mexican love interest) strangles the film in its sleep.An irony Philip Marlowe would appreciate.

When a bus arrives in San Pablo, the mysterious American Lucky Gagin (Robert Montgomery) looks for the La Fonda Hotel and he meets the local Pila (Wanda Hendrix) that offers to take him there. Gagin is a tough man and army veteran and he seeks out a man called Frank Hugo (Fred Clark) and he learns that he will be back to his room only on the next day. Gagin stumbles upon FBI Agent Bill Retz (Art Smith), who is chasing the powerful mobster Frank Hugo, and he warns Gagin to forget his scheme for revenging his friend Shorty that was murdered by Frank. Then Gagin looks for a hotel room and he goes to the Bar Tres Violetas, where he befriends the owner of carousel called Pancho (Thomas Gomez) and he buys drinks for his friends in the bar. Pancho offers a place to Gagin to spend the night. On the next morning, Gagin goes to the hotel and meets Frank Hugo. He blackmails the mobster, asking for 30,000 dollars to give a check that incriminates him. Frank Hugo accepts the deal and tell that the money will be available only at 7:00 PM. Will Gagin succeed in his extortion of money from Frank?"Ride the Pink Horse" is a different film-noir directed by Robert Montgomery, who is also the lead actor. His bitter and unpleasant character is well-developed as a war veteran disillusioned with the post-war life since his lover is unfaithful and his best friend was murdered by a mobster. Wanda Hendrix performs a weird character, maltreated by Gagin but following him like a puppy. But the plot is a good story of friendship. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Do Lodo Brotou Uma Flor" ("From the Mud Sprouted a Flower")

It's not often that a movie seen once more than 60 years ago lingers, hauntingly, in your memory. Robert Montgomery was a superb actor. His character is really a burnt out case who has seen too much of the hard life and has no compassion left, he thinks. Then he meets up with little Wanda Hendrix, and her plight melts his hard heart and leads to his coming to her aid. The last section of the movie is particularly gripping and atmospheric. It's finally evident where the title comes from. Robert Montgomery was one of our greatest character actors, and here he really lights up the screen in a wonderful performance. Wanda Hendrix is also very effective in her part. A great film noir film which deserves a better ranking. I'd love to see it again.

By stepping behind the camera for the first time with the Philip Marlowe mystery LADY IN THE LAKE (1947), Robert Montgomery showed that, apart from being a likable actor, he was also an inventive film-maker. That opinion is more than consolidated in his second dual effort as star-director that was made in quick succession and on similar noir lines. Driven by a cracking script by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer, the movie tells of our world-weary ex-GI hero's attempt to avenge his buddy's death at the hands of vicious racketeer Fred Clark – by extorting $30,000 in exchange for an incriminating personal cheque, or else turning him over to the federal authorities already on his heels in his Mexican hideout. Every performance is equally top-notch: from Montgomery himself – upon his arrival at the bus depot, nonchalantly affixing the all-important locker key stuck into a piece of chewing gum to a directions board or, after receiving a serious knife-wound in the back, deliriously calling on his opponent to confront him all over again – to Thomas Gomez's Oscar-nominated turn as the friendly carousel barker; from Fred Clark's sleek, hearing-aid sporting villain to Art Smith's sympathetic government agent; and from Wanda Hendrix (soon to be, albeit very briefly, Mrs. Audie Murphy in real life) as the enigmatic local girl who sticks by the hero's side like glue, to Andrea King as Clark's sultry accomplice seducing Montgomery within an inch of his life. Unjustly denied greater exposure among film buffs by its unavailability on DVD, it has thankfully been regularly shown on TCM USA (which is where the copy I watched was sourced from); it was subsequently remade for TV as THE HANGED MAN (1964) by another noir expert, Don Siegel, and featured quite a remarkable cast: Robert Culp, Edmond O'Brien, Vera Miles, J. Carroll Naish, Norman Fell, Seymour Cassel, Al Lettieri, Gene Raymond and Edgar Bergen.