Review of Too Late for Tears

A clever, complex, well-executed drama with just about every trick in the book and then some. Lizabeth Scott is terrific as the depressive housewife who snaps to life when trouble falls in her lap. It's quite a trick to see her turn from moping domestic to sultry schemer; she's one of the most quick-witted women ever committed to film. And she proves stronger than her regular-Joe husband and even stronger than the thug who comes looking for his money. Throw in a suspicious sister and a mysterious old army pal (the wonderful Don DeFore, best know from "Hazel"), and you've got a cracking noir with more twists than Scott's permanent wave. Few films could juggle so many characters popping up or dropping dead and still be coherent, but this does it well.