This movie was in 1957 and was based on Mickey Spillane’s book. The story begins in a diner where Mike Hammer meets Red. She’s a prostitute who’s down on her luck and Mike says that she should go back to Nebraska. Another man comes into the diner and asks Red to leave. When she doesn’t, Hammer tells him to leave. A fight begins and Hammer throws the man out of the diner.
Red seems like she wants to go back to Nebraska so Mike gives her money for clothes, buys her a bowl of soup, and then she leaves. Later, she is killed in a car accident.
Hammer is suspicious, especially when a ring is missing. It turns out that it was part of some jewelry that was stolen during World War from the Nazi’s. Even though Mike is told by the police not to get involved in the case, he decides to investigate anyway.
From there, Hammer will go to a strip where Red worked. As he draws closer to who murdered Red, he finds himself getting into several brawls and more people getting killed as his one man investigation continues.
No big stars in this movie. Gina Core plays a stripper in the movie. She’s from Mexico. This was her only movie and career seemed to end after some roles in some TV series in 1959. For the short time she was in the movie, I thought she put on a good performance. Have to say the same about the rest of the cast.
Robert Bray played Mike Hammer. I have no complaints about his performance although you have to take some of the dialogue that went with the movie. Everyone being called Tomatoes. Telling Velda Get off my back Chick.
As far as the mystery goes, it came as a surprise to me when he determined who was responsible for the murders. Spillane did a great job of that and the whole plot was believable to me.
If there is one noir movie that deserved five stars, this would be the one. I really enjoyed it.
Ron Hummer
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