Excellent, a Must See

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

ILLEGAL - 1955Illegal is the second remake of the 1932 film, THE MOUTHPIECE. Here, Warner's lets W.R. Burnett (The Asphalt Jungle)punch up the story and move it up to the 50's.Edward G. Robinson plays a slick D.A. who wins far more cases than he loses. He wins a big one and decides it is time to run for higher office. This idea goes south when the man he sent to the chair, turns out to be innocent. Robinson resigns and takes to the bottle in a big way.One day, after spending a night in the drunk tank, Robinson helps a man, Jay Adler, beat a murder beef. He decides to dry out and open up a civil practice. He is soon in demand with all the wrong people. Mobster, Albert Dekker hires him to get various mob types off.Nina Foch, a friend from his D.A. days is not amused with Robinson's working for the "dark side". The new D.A. Edward Platt, is sure that Robinson must have a source inside the D.A.s office. Platt is sure that the source is Miss Foch. Actually, it is Foch's husband, Hugh Marlowe. Marlowe got in deep with the mob over a large gambling debt. He is paying the debt off by feeding Dekker info on cases.This arrangement soon ends when wife Foch learns the truth. She ends up shooting hubby Marlowe when he tries to silence her. D.A. Platt, believes that Foch had murdered Marlowe to stop "him" from informing on Foch. She is charged with murder.Robinson quickly steps up and takes her case. Needless to say no one believes a word that Foch says. Robinson digs around and comes up with a witness to Dekker and Marlowe being in cahoots. Dekker is not the least bit amused with this, and sends a hit-man to deep six Robinson. Robinson survives the attack and presents his witness, Jayne Mansfield. Mansfield coughs up more than enough evidence to get Foch off and mobster Dekker in deep trouble.A quite watchable film noir with Robinson as usual, giving a reliable performance. Foch, Marlowe and Dekker are also good. The hourglass figured Mansfield, in her first billed role, seems to spend all her limited screen time leaning her upper-works into the camera.The director here, Lewis Allen is in good form as well. His other film noir include, SUDDENLY, DESERT FURY, A BULLET FOR JOEY, APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER and CHICAGO DEADLINE. The sharp looking film was shot by veteran cinematographer, Pev Marley. The two time, Oscar nominated Marley's work, includes, THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS, LIFE WITH FATHER, PRIDE OF THE MARINES, DRUMBEAT and KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE.

This Could Only be Called Film-Noir in the Most Liberal of Definition, Despite, Once Again, a DVD Package that Claims it As Such. It has that 1950's Television Lighting where Everything is Glowing and Bright and that Decades Safe Presentation and Production that Screams "Assembly Line" in Every Scene.But it is a Good Courtroom Melodrama with a Strong Performance by Robinson and a Supporting Cast Playing Some Interesting, if Standard, Characters. Albert Dekker Seems to have Wandered In from Kiss Me Deadly (1955, a true Noir), Nina Foch is OK if Bland, and Jan Merlin as a Pistol Yielding Gunsel Stands Out.This is the Third Version of the Story and is Worth a Watch for Edward G. and for a Couple of Powerfully Violent Scenes, the first Murder, and a Bedroom Brawl Between Foch and Hugh Marlowe. The Rest is Pedestrian but Tolerable and Jayne Mansfield Makes Her Debut with a Scene or Two that Registers.Overall, Not Much and it has the Stiffness of a Retread, but there is Talent at Work Here with a Max Steiner Score and Some Salty Dialog, but the Film Seems Outdated and Comes Off as a Moderate Revisitation.

Edward G. Robinson plays a disgraced D.A. who starts working for the very people he tried to put away in "Illegal," a 1955 film also starring Nina Foch, Hugh Marlowe, Albert Dekker, Jayne Mansfield, and Ellen Corby.When he is unable to stop the death row execution of an innocent man in time, Victor Scott (Robinson) sinks to the depths, turning to alcohol, until he realizes that he can have a lucrative career as a defense attorney for the mob. This is a disappointment to his protégé Ellen (Foch), who worked as his legal assistant and is still in the D.A.'s office along with her new husband (Marlowe). When someone from that office is suspected of leaking information to Scott, Ellen becomes a suspect.This was not a huge budget film. Instead, director Lewis Allen uses a real building interior and the streets of LA for some scenes, which really adds to the atmosphere.Robinson really dominates this film -- for a short man, he was a towering presence. I loved the scene where he admires the mobster's art collection -- it was actually loaned to the studio by Robinson. Besides Corby, future TV series stars DeForest Kelly and Edward Platt appear in smaller roles. Jayne Mansfield has a good part in her film debut, that of a singer/girlfriend of a mob boss. Nina Foch hands in a strong performance as the disillusioned Ellen.I had one small problem with the denouement of this film. Everything hinged on a phone call, but couldn't one access phone records in 1955? There is no mention of this; instead, there is a scramble for a witness. Odd, but a good film nonetheless.

This movie reminded me of how great an actor Edward G. Robinson was. His performance is absolutely brilliant as the tough crime-fighting D.A. who sends an innocent man to the electric chair, then drowns his sorrows in the bottle and morphs into an unscrupulous attorney for the Mob.There is some terrific dialog, like when he admonishes the new D.A. with: "When you sit in that chair and have a thought, just remember, I sat there too and had it before you." Although the remainder of the cast deliver good performances, the movie is basically a showcase of Robinson's incredible acting talent. He dominates every scene he is in -- except where the gorgeous Jayne Mansfield is present, who plays the crime boss's classy mistress.Mansfield is poetry-in-motion, a screen goddess, and much better than Marilyn Monroe ever was. This is her film debut and she only appears in a few short scenes - which she totally steals - but is absolutely stunning eye candy. It's worth noting that although Mansfield is portrayed as a dumb blonde, in real life she had an IQ of 163, spoke 5 languages, and was an accomplished pianist - a talent she splendidly shows off in the movie by playing and singing for the crime boss. The direction and cinematography are good. There are some nice plot twists and Robinson finally redeems his character in an unexpected ending. This movie is classic noir and not to be missed.