'Nocturne' immediately appealed to me, being a huge lifelong fan of classic film, a fan of the genre it fits under and liking the idea for the story. Any film that has a music-related title, nocturnes tending to be very beautiful and hauntingly melancholic pieces, also has me sold quite quickly. Am less of a fan of George Raft but it is dependent on the role and there was the worry as to whether he would be too lightweight for a role that sounded like it was of the hard-boiled type.
There is a lot to recommend here in 'Nocturne'. Pretty much all the numerous good things being great. It did keep me on my toes and entertained me at least, as well as being well made. Sadly, there are also a fair few drawbacks in 'Nocturne', and those drawbacks are hardly small. One in particular brings the film down by quite a bit. Being a fan of the genre and liking the concept, it was hard to not feel disappointed watching the film.
Will start with the good things. The glossy production values are beautiful and stylish to look at. The direction on the most part is very slick, especially in the final act. Being a big music enthusiast, being a semi-professional musician myself, it has always been very important for me to talk about the music for anything watched and reviewed. The music made a big impression on me here, especially the prominent but not too heavy handed use of the hauntingly beautiful, sometimes ominous and poignant-sounding nocturne theme itself.
It has a hard-boiled and taut edge to the script, which is also very witty in parts (especially from Myrna Dell and Mabel Paige). And most of the story absorbs a lot, wit an intriguing and neat set up, some clever red herrings and a fun and suspenseful final third. The supporting cast are very good, the standouts being amusing Paige and unsettling Joseph Pevney. Dell also steals all her scenes.
Raft is far less successful when it comes to the acting, do have to agree sadly with those that felt he was stiff and one-dimensional and lacked the intensity and charisma needed for a character this complex and edgy.
Some imperfections can be seen in the story too. Some of the middle act drags and feels routine and the film can get a little too complicated, especially when going into the final third. With a couple less red herrings perhaps and more development on some plot points (a few important ones not touched upon anywhere near enough), there would have been more clarity.
Concluding, worth the look and above average but there was a better in there somewhere that doesn't fully come out. 6/10
There is a lot to recommend here in 'Nocturne'. Pretty much all the numerous good things being great. It did keep me on my toes and entertained me at least, as well as being well made. Sadly, there are also a fair few drawbacks in 'Nocturne', and those drawbacks are hardly small. One in particular brings the film down by quite a bit. Being a fan of the genre and liking the concept, it was hard to not feel disappointed watching the film.
Will start with the good things. The glossy production values are beautiful and stylish to look at. The direction on the most part is very slick, especially in the final act. Being a big music enthusiast, being a semi-professional musician myself, it has always been very important for me to talk about the music for anything watched and reviewed. The music made a big impression on me here, especially the prominent but not too heavy handed use of the hauntingly beautiful, sometimes ominous and poignant-sounding nocturne theme itself.
It has a hard-boiled and taut edge to the script, which is also very witty in parts (especially from Myrna Dell and Mabel Paige). And most of the story absorbs a lot, wit an intriguing and neat set up, some clever red herrings and a fun and suspenseful final third. The supporting cast are very good, the standouts being amusing Paige and unsettling Joseph Pevney. Dell also steals all her scenes.
Raft is far less successful when it comes to the acting, do have to agree sadly with those that felt he was stiff and one-dimensional and lacked the intensity and charisma needed for a character this complex and edgy.
Some imperfections can be seen in the story too. Some of the middle act drags and feels routine and the film can get a little too complicated, especially when going into the final third. With a couple less red herrings perhaps and more development on some plot points (a few important ones not touched upon anywhere near enough), there would have been more clarity.
Concluding, worth the look and above average but there was a better in there somewhere that doesn't fully come out. 6/10