A film noir sometimes needs more than sufficient dark mood and a swell babe. It needs some ideas, or even a few laughs. The Big Clock does well to become perhaps one of the funniest of the films of the period that have murder, corruption, villains, average Joes and hot dames in the midst of a hot story. I think some of it may be unintentional humor, but I'm not sure; around a small crowd watching the film in a theater found many lines of dialog either laugh-out-loud funny, or worthy of a few good chuckles. This isn't something new to find in film-noir; watching Double Indemnity or The Killing and you may find yourself with more than a few belly laughs by the midway point. But The Big Clock relies on every character being witty, or just smarter than they should be (or sometimes dumber or not-all-there like the painter lady Mrs. Patterson - she gets the last line of the film and it's a doozy).
Sure, the plot itself is dramatic enough, and with a good bit of twist to it. A reporter at a magazine (Ray Miland) is fired by the malevolent boss, Janoth (inimitable Charles Laughton), and he proceeds to have a night of drinking with a blonde girl. But she winds up in the wrong place at the wrong time with Mr. Janoth, and is killed. This isn't a spoiler so much since it happens relatively early in the storyline (at least at the third-way point), and from then on the real story kicks in, which has Stroud having to find anything that can help clear his name from the mounting evidence that Janoth does his best to mount - via his whole paper investigating - the disappearance and murder of the woman in the room. It's a mind-game that depends on finding the right people in time, witnesses, evidence. The cops can't help.
Some of it comes close to unbelievable, but what keeps it engaging and entertaining, and sort of in an escapist way, is how sharply drawn the characters are. I hoped that Stroud would get out of his predictament, even for all of the harm he's caused his poor wife who just wants to see him in a job he likes, and hopes that Janoth would get his just deserts (albeit seeing Laughton and his droll way of approaching things, not to mention his shifty eyes, stole many scenes away from a believable Milland). Other supporting actors fill in well, like Lanchester as the eccentric Patterson, or the guy running the shop (I especially loved the random moment when a guy comes in and asks for bubbles... and he delivers!) There's also some genuine suspense built in by the director, which helps the inevitable of having to tie up the loose ends. It's enjoyable to see such a blatant baddie like the guy Janoth has with his dead eyes and black suit go after Milland towards the end in the clocktower.
And, again, the dialog helps out a great deal. This could be a potentially simple B-movie, and in some ways it is, but it lasts way past its years because of its natural ability at amusement, and even being amused with itself. It's a little like if Woody Allen had to adapt a pulp paperback to a degree, neuroses and quirky characters included.
Sure, the plot itself is dramatic enough, and with a good bit of twist to it. A reporter at a magazine (Ray Miland) is fired by the malevolent boss, Janoth (inimitable Charles Laughton), and he proceeds to have a night of drinking with a blonde girl. But she winds up in the wrong place at the wrong time with Mr. Janoth, and is killed. This isn't a spoiler so much since it happens relatively early in the storyline (at least at the third-way point), and from then on the real story kicks in, which has Stroud having to find anything that can help clear his name from the mounting evidence that Janoth does his best to mount - via his whole paper investigating - the disappearance and murder of the woman in the room. It's a mind-game that depends on finding the right people in time, witnesses, evidence. The cops can't help.
Some of it comes close to unbelievable, but what keeps it engaging and entertaining, and sort of in an escapist way, is how sharply drawn the characters are. I hoped that Stroud would get out of his predictament, even for all of the harm he's caused his poor wife who just wants to see him in a job he likes, and hopes that Janoth would get his just deserts (albeit seeing Laughton and his droll way of approaching things, not to mention his shifty eyes, stole many scenes away from a believable Milland). Other supporting actors fill in well, like Lanchester as the eccentric Patterson, or the guy running the shop (I especially loved the random moment when a guy comes in and asks for bubbles... and he delivers!) There's also some genuine suspense built in by the director, which helps the inevitable of having to tie up the loose ends. It's enjoyable to see such a blatant baddie like the guy Janoth has with his dead eyes and black suit go after Milland towards the end in the clocktower.
And, again, the dialog helps out a great deal. This could be a potentially simple B-movie, and in some ways it is, but it lasts way past its years because of its natural ability at amusement, and even being amused with itself. It's a little like if Woody Allen had to adapt a pulp paperback to a degree, neuroses and quirky characters included.