Sorry, this movie sucks

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Dodgy financial swindler Albert Dekker (Holden) wants to get rid of the fiancé of wealthy Catherine Craig (Claire) so that he can step in and bag himself a fortune. He's not sure who the intended groom is but approaches nightclub owner and gangster Alan Carney (Victor) to take him out whoever he may be. Problems begin when Craig dumps her intended and agrees to marry Dekker in a quick wedding that gets plastered over the newspapers. The hit-man now knows who to go for – Dekker has unintentionally taken out a hit on himself! He tries to put things right with Carney but things get worse and we watch as he spends the rest of the film in total paranoia. Who's coming after him? When's it going to happen? How is it going to happen? This film started a little slow but once the premise has been set up, the film gets a purpose and we watch to see how things will pan out. The film keeps you guessing and Dekker is good in the lead role. In real life, Dekker's death is a fascinating mystery that I recommend you read up on. It goes beyond auto-erotic asphyxiation as suggested. Someone seriously didn't like him! No S&M in this film, though, so you'll be disappointed if that's what you are watching for.

THE PRETENDER is a neat little film noir with a high concept and atmospheric execution. It was directed by W. Lee Wilder, the lesser-known brother of Billy, and has a great little story that I haven't seen done before. The main character, as played by Albert Dekker, is a banker with the debts mounting up, so he somewhat cheekily uses the funds of a rich woman he knows in order to pay them off.Dekker isn't happy with the situation so decides to move closer to the woman by paying a gangster to have her lover bumped off, thus paving the way for him. In the end, though, the woman falls for Dekker himself, so his next job is to call off the hit lest he himself is mistaken for the victim. At this point, things get complicated.A great sense of foreboding and claustrophobia propels THE PRETENDER, which makes it stand out a little from the rest. The copious use of the Theremin machine on the soundtrack is a lovely touch. The cast is undistinguished but Dekker is believable as the thoroughly unlikeable protagonist. There's also a great little role for the delightfully sinister Charles Middleton, a former Ming the Merciless. The highlight of the movie is undoubtedly the climax, which is fantastic stuff.

What would it have been like if David Lynch were sitting in the director's chair in the golden age of film noir? This picture might give a hint of what it may have looked like. The thing is populated with phantoms inhabiting the bodies of some of the screen's most dastardly character types. There goes Charles Middleton posing as a butler from the nether regions. And here comes a young doctor in the guise of Charles Drake. I wonder what else he cuts up when he slithers out the door in the evening? And then there's the film's handsome, middle aged, Albert Dekker, in a bravura performance as an embezzler. He continually wrings his hands and worries about other fantasies that are too diseased for the light of night. He becomes obsessed and woefully paranoid about "those who are coming" to get him. He locks himself into his "fine and private" room there to gorge himself on a worthless diet of potted meats and stale crackers. His self perpetuated madness takes on epic proportions as he tries to get away from his internal horror and this makes for the ultimate bad choice in causing him to forfeit his life in a most chilling manner.This is truly a low budget nightmare noir filmed with consummate skill and gusto by the German cinematographer John Alton before his career with the terrific director Anthony Mann. The two of them made some of the finest film noirs to grace the screen. Also, this particular picture uses forced perspective and scrunched miniatures to add to its otherworldly view. In the end, it is probably W.Lee Wilder, Billy's older brother's best attempt behind the camera. He wouldn't manage to trod any meaner streets than these again.

A genuine bottom of the barrel sleeper. Sure, the budget doesn't exceed about a dollar-fifty, especially for the bare-bones sets. But wisely, most of that was earmarked for two giants of classic noir— actor Dekker and photographer Alton. Add to that a pretty tight little screenplay, and we get a riveting foray into a noirish web of paranoia and guilt, heightened by Dekker's commanding performance and Alton's expressionist lighting.Note, for example, how economically stockbroker Holden's (Dekker) devious character is conveyed in the opening scene. He's dug a hole and now must scheme his way out, but soon that scheming will envelop him in odd ways, through either sheer bad luck or the proverbial hand of noirish fate. What a marvelously dominating turn by Dekker as the doomed fortune hunter. He always brought an icy intelligence to his roles and it's on effective display here.Note also how Alton's lighting gets progressively more oppressive as the web tightens. Those pin lights isolating Holden's face are perfect visual correlates of the mounting paranoia. And catch that final grim figure, eating out of a suitcase in an unlit bedroom, the dark forces at last closing in. Noir doesn't get much more expressive than this.Something should also be said about Alan Carney's wonderfully sinister nightclub owner. Note how quickly he moves from jovial host to fierce gangster once Holden broaches his murderous proposition. At the same time, that screeching giggle is enough to cause an audience run on earmuffs. The rotund Carney's an unusual presence, to say the least. Too bad that other expert grotesque, Charles Middleton, is in a rather conventional butler role, minus way too much screen time. His graveyard voice is always a shuddery treat, and a big reason to catch those old Flash Gordon serials.Director Wilder may have been the lesser half of the two director brothers, but a look at his production credits shows a certain flair for low-budget quality both here and elsewhere— The Great Flamarion (1945), Strange Impersonation (1946), Three Steps North (1951)-- all contain redeeming virtues, even if in a minor key.All in all, The Pretender remains a sleeper on several interesting levels-- another pleasant surprise at even this most obscure level of 40's movie-making.(In passing-- viewers might question the eerie, yet cheesy, presence of the theremin sound effect in what's already an eerie movie. Also, there're some distractive problems with Holden's moustache. Check out the occasional color and shape shifts for no apparent reason. Maybe someone in make-up was near-sighted.)