A different way of telling a story

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

. . . and CRY WOLF would be more aptly titled THE KIDS ARE NOT ALRIGHT. All Baby Boomers seem to pass down the story of how one of their President Kennedy's sisters was lobotomized when she started to "go bad" after puberty. That's what wealthy families usually did back in the day. Otherwise, when "bad seeds" were give free reign to mingle with Proper Society, they'd kill rich neighbor girls with golf clubs, and no more family members would get elected to the U.S. Senate. In a story ripped from his tomorrow's headlines, Errol Flynn plays a Kennedy-like fixer in a U.S. Senatorial Family, desperately trying to keep the schizophrenic Mordreds of his clan from running amok in CAMELOT. For a few brief shining moments Flynn's "Mark Caldwell" succeeds in keeping his family nut cases from cracking up. Stuff hits the fan with a mechanic bludgeoned in Canada by a wrench. Though not quite as serious as doing in Mr. Plum by Candlestick in the Library, it's plenty hard enough for Mark to keep America's political mudslingers from getting a CLUE about his NEXT GENERATION Devolving into Common Murderers. But at least Mark's horse gets to take Barbara Stanwyck for a ride here.

That's what Barbara Stanwyck finds in this moody film noir when she shows up at the mansion of her late husband, whom she only married to assist in receiving her estate and for her own financial issues as well. His uncle (Errol Flynn) isn't exactly welcoming, giving Stanwyck the insensitive to fight, even if to prove that they are evenly matched and she's no patsy. The estate contains a locked laboratory which rouses Stanwyck's curiosity. Flynn's fragile niece (Geraldine Brooks) befriends her sister-in-law which brings Flynn and Stanwyck into more conflict, especially when Stanwyck starts snooping, convinced that her husband may still be alive.In lesser professional hands, this would only be average, this being an American variation on "Rebecca" and "Jane Eyre", yet with film noir elements. The only film which Stanwyck and Flynn did together, they are an interesting pair, the romantic aspect rising subtly yet never overwhelming the mystery points of the plot. Stanwyck shows her love for horses in several riding sequences, although the shot of the horse being bugged by a bunny is laugh inducing.Contrary to the plot line, Stanwyck is neither a victim or a femme fatal. Her motives for marrying the M.I.A. brother aren't really defined, but are obviously not shady since she freely admits she needed the money. Unlike the same year's "The Two Mrs. Carrolls", she's not the woman in jeopardy, a witness to murder or in danger of "Sorry Wrong Number", so it is a unique assignment for her. She was always great when combining character elements both good and bad. As his characters aged, Flynn became less of a lothario and a bit darker, and in "Cry Wolf", you're never quite sure what he's up to, that is until the end of the picture.

I disagree with all the reviewers who disagree with me. This was a tense, suspenseful melodrama which I feel has gotten a bad rap since it came out. The mood of the film is ominous and unsettling throughout and benefits from excellent acting jobs from the two stars. Barbara Stanwyck almost never gives a bad performance and does not disappoint, but the big surprise here is Errol Flynn. In "Cry Wolf" he shows unexpected depth and nuance - this from an actor known for one-dimensional action/ swashbuckling roles, in addition to his off-screen antics as a swordsman. Who knew he was capable of such acting?More disagreement. I thought the script was intelligent and that the pacing was good and that the ending was not a lame copout. It did not rely on its star performances and it kept you guessing right up to the end. I never took a movie course but I know what I like, to coin a borrowed phrase, and this was a good picture. I will have to say I was going to award Geraldine Brooks the Hand-Painted Mustache Cup as Hambone Actress of 1947, but I passed because it was her screen debut.But don't take my word. Decide for yourself if it's a quick, exciting 83 minutes. That's what makes horse racing.

Barbara Stanwyck and Errol Flynn in a Gothic mansion type thriller is not at all a bad idea. Casting Errol as the dark/brooding master of the estate, while against type, is also not a bad idea (though his performance is awful wooden -- he would do this kind of role far better in That Forsythe Woman). All the elements for a fun popcorn movie are there -- moody lighting, great sets, evocative music, and Barbara Stanwyck as the feisty lead willing to shimmy down dumb waiters and climb around the scary house's roof in her high heels to find out the truth about the death of her husband.Oh, but that script! It destroys the actor's ability to establish rational charactarizations, because everyone acts like a bunch of idiots. if you are a Barbra Stanwyck fan, you might enjoy this as an example of her ability to make something out of a rather silly role. Otherwise, skip it. You have been warned.