The other reviewer did not have anything good to say about this movie. Well, it is cheaply made and obviously, Edward Ulmer didn't have much of a budget. He mostly directed B-movies anyway. However, this was one of his later films and his star was Barbara Payton. Her sad sad life was on the down-swing at the time she did this, her final film. She was only 28 years old and this marked the end of her career which had started only five years earlier. If you watch this film, you will see a very good performance by Barbara Payton. This may not be a true film-noir, but it is a dark, downbeat drama with a great musical score. I believe this is worth 77 minutes of viewing time. Enjoy!
28 Reviews
Ulmer's late noir shows glimmers of talent under limitations
bmacv20 January 2002
A man's body is found face down in a fireplace, face and fingerprints charred beyond identification. Clues lead to his mistress, bar singer Barbara Payton (alas, we get to hear nary a note). Homicide cop Ray Patrick tracks her to a mountain cabin, but a blizzard forces them to spend a (chaste) night together, and she starts to get under his skin. On the train back to Los Angeles, she spots the man who was presumed murdered standing on a platform; against his better judgement, Patrick joins her on the lam to uncover the truth -- a confusing pastiche involving her roommate, a double blackmail scheme, the wrong body and, somehow, ceramic figurines....
Of all the directors who started out in European cinema but fled to America, Edgar G. Ulmer worked with the most crippling resources. In Murder Is My Beat, he returns to Detour's depressing terrain of thrown-together fugitives holing up in crummy motels. But instead of the full-tilt, well, savagery of Ann Savage, there's the catatonic passivity of Barbara Payton, a beaten-down, ill-used blonde. (How much of this depends on acting ability is anybody's guess. At this final outpost of her movie career -- five years earlier, she'd been James Cagney's moll in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye -- Payton had already begun her sad drift toward the demimonde.) Though the story relies too much on explication rather than exposition, its fatalistic inertia keeps the viewer interested but off balance. It's another cheapie noir saved from utter mediocrity by the genuine, if compromised, talents of its director.
Of all the directors who started out in European cinema but fled to America, Edgar G. Ulmer worked with the most crippling resources. In Murder Is My Beat, he returns to Detour's depressing terrain of thrown-together fugitives holing up in crummy motels. But instead of the full-tilt, well, savagery of Ann Savage, there's the catatonic passivity of Barbara Payton, a beaten-down, ill-used blonde. (How much of this depends on acting ability is anybody's guess. At this final outpost of her movie career -- five years earlier, she'd been James Cagney's moll in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye -- Payton had already begun her sad drift toward the demimonde.) Though the story relies too much on explication rather than exposition, its fatalistic inertia keeps the viewer interested but off balance. It's another cheapie noir saved from utter mediocrity by the genuine, if compromised, talents of its director.
Beat's decent one has quirky appeal.
st-shot12 December 2016
Bargain basement filmmaker Edgar Ulmer offers up a fetish laden noir of probably a 10 day shooting schedule with reasonable facsimiles of moments from Laura, Shadow of a Doubt, Out of the Past and Chinatown to present the viewer with a rather breezy run through police corruption and procedural abuse. It's quite a bargain for the price.
Straight arrow homicide detective Ray Patrick is on a winning streak and up for a promotion when his next case gets compromised by a dame he feels he railroaded and now wants to clear. But she wears him down with her plea of innocence and they illegally set off to find the guilty party his commanding officer in pursuit.
In spite of the incredulous plot Ulmer once again, with little, works wonders with cast and crucial tight editing that offers momentary top tier suspense at fire sale prices.
As no nonsense dick gone rogue Paul Langton is no Mitch or Dana Andrews in Laura but he expresses the same veneer and a nebulous incertitude that bedevils them; in this case by a blonde fatale, no Jane Greer but the tragic Barbara Payton, a walking noir reality as convincing innocent. There's also some solid small bits with Kate McKenna as witness Miss Sparrow stealing both her brief scenes.
Ulmer for his part packs a tremendous amount of seedy backdrop to the story as Patrick steps on rights ( no one ever thinks to ask for a lawyer in the face of gross malfeasance) and goes through women's underwear draws with abandon in the pursuit of justice, making it clear he is not interested. Form wise Ulmer does not waste time and he offers up some fine montage, provocative inferences and enough subtle deceptions to make this a bit of an enjoyable overachiever.
Straight arrow homicide detective Ray Patrick is on a winning streak and up for a promotion when his next case gets compromised by a dame he feels he railroaded and now wants to clear. But she wears him down with her plea of innocence and they illegally set off to find the guilty party his commanding officer in pursuit.
In spite of the incredulous plot Ulmer once again, with little, works wonders with cast and crucial tight editing that offers momentary top tier suspense at fire sale prices.
As no nonsense dick gone rogue Paul Langton is no Mitch or Dana Andrews in Laura but he expresses the same veneer and a nebulous incertitude that bedevils them; in this case by a blonde fatale, no Jane Greer but the tragic Barbara Payton, a walking noir reality as convincing innocent. There's also some solid small bits with Kate McKenna as witness Miss Sparrow stealing both her brief scenes.
Ulmer for his part packs a tremendous amount of seedy backdrop to the story as Patrick steps on rights ( no one ever thinks to ask for a lawyer in the face of gross malfeasance) and goes through women's underwear draws with abandon in the pursuit of justice, making it clear he is not interested. Form wise Ulmer does not waste time and he offers up some fine montage, provocative inferences and enough subtle deceptions to make this a bit of an enjoyable overachiever.
Jumbled
dougdoepke15 December 2015
The best thing about this jumbled programmer is the intimidating snowstorm Detective Patrick (Langton) has to slog through. I almost went to the closet for my parka. The movie's main draw now, I expect, is Hollywood bad girl Barbara Payton's final movie. Too bad she couldn't work up some emotion. Outside of her sweaters, it's hard to see how veteran cop Patrick could fall for her so quickly, and jeopardize his career, to boot.
All in all, you may need a scorecard to track the convoluted plot—something about who's killed whom and whether the dead are really dead. It may also help to turn off your sense of disbelief when you turn on the movie. Anyhow, Patrick's got 77-minutes to figure it all out. Langton's fine in the lead role, while Tracey Roberts makes for an intriguing mystery woman. I wish Roberts had made more movies; she's definitely a distinctive presence.
Five years earlier and I expect cult director Ulmer would have delivered an atmospheric noir. But not here. The lighting and photography are strictly pedestrian, and it's anybody's guess why. In my book, the results amount to forgettable 50's crime drama.There are a couple of noir earmarks-- a compromised fall guy, a half spider woman-- but crucially there's no noirish mood that might implicate the ambivalent nature of reality itself.
Too bad the star-crossed Payton didn't go out on a stronger note. Still, she looks bored with the whole procedure, so maybe it's just as well.
All in all, you may need a scorecard to track the convoluted plot—something about who's killed whom and whether the dead are really dead. It may also help to turn off your sense of disbelief when you turn on the movie. Anyhow, Patrick's got 77-minutes to figure it all out. Langton's fine in the lead role, while Tracey Roberts makes for an intriguing mystery woman. I wish Roberts had made more movies; she's definitely a distinctive presence.
Five years earlier and I expect cult director Ulmer would have delivered an atmospheric noir. But not here. The lighting and photography are strictly pedestrian, and it's anybody's guess why. In my book, the results amount to forgettable 50's crime drama.There are a couple of noir earmarks-- a compromised fall guy, a half spider woman-- but crucially there's no noirish mood that might implicate the ambivalent nature of reality itself.
Too bad the star-crossed Payton didn't go out on a stronger note. Still, she looks bored with the whole procedure, so maybe it's just as well.
The only way I can wake up from this nightmare is to go back to sleep
kapelusznik183 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** Given the assignment to bring convicted murderess Eden Lane, Barbara Payton, to the city lock-up the detective Ray Patrick, Paul Langton, escorting her takes a powder together Eden after she supposedly saw the man, Frank Deane, that she was accused of murdering as she and Patrick were on their way by train back to state prison. This has Det. Patrick's good friend and boss Capt.Bert Rawley,Robert Shayne, mad as hell in allowing against his better judgment to have him escort her knowing that being so drop dead gorgeous Eden can work of his heartstrings and have him do, like a love sick puppy, anything that she wants.
Despite dropping his guard and planning to later drop his pants, in romancing Eden, it turns out that Det. Patrick's believing Eden's story that her murder victim was in fact alive turns out to have some truth to it. Enough truth that the outraged Capt. Rawley gives him an additional 24 hours to find Deane's killer if in fact there was one. What later comes out in the wash is that someone was murdered in all this confusion but it wasn't Dean and the person who murdered him and his accomplice who was later to murder Eden's former roommate Pasty Flint, Tracy Roberts, who turned out to be the real culprits in all this. As for Eden who was facing the San Quentin gas chamber she turned out to be the innocent victim in all this confusing mess!
One of the last films that the beautiful Barbara Payton stared in before she ended up addicted on drugs and turning tricks to support her habit that eventually lead to her untimely death at the age of 39 in 1966. Decent 1950's film noir with Det. Patrick at first not believing Eden's story that Frank Dean was still alive but little by little realizing that she was in fact telling the truth. That to the point where he was willing to not only end up losing his job but ending up behind bars for helping a fugitive from justice escape justice. Justice was indeed served when the real killer or killers blew their cover and ended up behind bars for their crimes. Crimes that turned out to be independent of each other.
Despite dropping his guard and planning to later drop his pants, in romancing Eden, it turns out that Det. Patrick's believing Eden's story that her murder victim was in fact alive turns out to have some truth to it. Enough truth that the outraged Capt. Rawley gives him an additional 24 hours to find Deane's killer if in fact there was one. What later comes out in the wash is that someone was murdered in all this confusion but it wasn't Dean and the person who murdered him and his accomplice who was later to murder Eden's former roommate Pasty Flint, Tracy Roberts, who turned out to be the real culprits in all this. As for Eden who was facing the San Quentin gas chamber she turned out to be the innocent victim in all this confusing mess!
One of the last films that the beautiful Barbara Payton stared in before she ended up addicted on drugs and turning tricks to support her habit that eventually lead to her untimely death at the age of 39 in 1966. Decent 1950's film noir with Det. Patrick at first not believing Eden's story that Frank Dean was still alive but little by little realizing that she was in fact telling the truth. That to the point where he was willing to not only end up losing his job but ending up behind bars for helping a fugitive from justice escape justice. Justice was indeed served when the real killer or killers blew their cover and ended up behind bars for their crimes. Crimes that turned out to be independent of each other.
A 40's style film noir made late in the game that still works with a 50's twist.
mark.waltz1 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The best film noir involves a sap of a man who is willing to give up his career and risk everything including his life just because of the femme fatale who may or may not be a killer, a crook or a tramp. Film historians explain that the vixens of "Double Indemnity", "Out of the Past" and "Detour" were able to destroy their men much like the vamps of the silent era through the promise of the best sex of their life. That is the case of "Murder is My Beat" where a detective gets all the evidence to arrest a blonde vixen for murder, follows her through the snowy wilderness, gets her on the train to take her back, and bam!, is all of a sudden under her spell and willing to risk everything because she claims that she has seen the supposed murder victim standing outside of the train on a station platform. A lie or her conscience playing tricks on her? That remains to be seen.
A typical film noir narration moves the plot along and while this is definitely a cliché of these types of films, in this case, it works wonders. Paul Langton is both hero and narrator, telling his story as he tries to reason as to why he believed that the blonde and buxom cabaret singer Barbara Payton was innocent of the murder he has been collecting evidence on against her. Payton leaves little to the imagination in her tight sweater as Langton basically bursts in on her in the snow-covered cabin. He barely missed walking over the roof of it until he noticed a chimney sticking up out of nowhere. She looks pretty cozy there in spite of the fact that there's probably 10 feet of snow outside threatening to block her in for the winter.
As directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, this is one of his lesser known classics (which includes film noir sleepers like "Detour" and "Ruthless"), and there is wonder as to why newer filmmakers have discovered his work to be artistically genius. What seems at first like a generic film noir as that era was winding down is actually a great find in itself, with tight editing, crisp dialog and characters you never know what side of moralistic laws they are on. That keeps you guessing all the way through and that is what great film noir is all about.
A typical film noir narration moves the plot along and while this is definitely a cliché of these types of films, in this case, it works wonders. Paul Langton is both hero and narrator, telling his story as he tries to reason as to why he believed that the blonde and buxom cabaret singer Barbara Payton was innocent of the murder he has been collecting evidence on against her. Payton leaves little to the imagination in her tight sweater as Langton basically bursts in on her in the snow-covered cabin. He barely missed walking over the roof of it until he noticed a chimney sticking up out of nowhere. She looks pretty cozy there in spite of the fact that there's probably 10 feet of snow outside threatening to block her in for the winter.
As directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, this is one of his lesser known classics (which includes film noir sleepers like "Detour" and "Ruthless"), and there is wonder as to why newer filmmakers have discovered his work to be artistically genius. What seems at first like a generic film noir as that era was winding down is actually a great find in itself, with tight editing, crisp dialog and characters you never know what side of moralistic laws they are on. That keeps you guessing all the way through and that is what great film noir is all about.
Coincidences
claudio_carvalho21 August 2019
When a man is found with his face destroyed by fire in a fireplace, the prominent Police Detective Ray Patrick (Paul Langton) is assigned to the case. Soon he captures the singer Eden Lane (Barbara Payton), who was the man´s mistress, and solves the case. Eden is sentenced to prison and while Ray is transporting her by train, she claims that she has just seen her lover alive in a train station. Ray believes the woman and helps her to escape to hunt the man. Meanwhile Police Captain Bert Rawley (Robert Shayne) hunts the couple down.
"Murder Is My Beat" is a flawed but entertaining film-noir directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. The plot has many coincidences and most of the twists are not believable but it is worthwhile watching at least once. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Morto Desaparecido" (The Vanished Dead")
"Murder Is My Beat" is a flawed but entertaining film-noir directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. The plot has many coincidences and most of the twists are not believable but it is worthwhile watching at least once. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Morto Desaparecido" (The Vanished Dead")
Murder Is My Beat (1955)
MartinTeller3 January 2012
A detective chases down an accused murderess, but en route to prison he begins to have his doubts. Although another ultra-low-budget (including some of the shoddiest rear projection work I've ever seen) noir from Ulmer, early hopes that this might be another DETOUR were dashed. Like RUTHLESS, it's something of a disappointment. For the first half it seems to be going somewhere, but then it loses traction and meanders towards an unsatisfying conclusion. However, Ulmer pulls off a few terrific moments (especially those regarding trains), and I do think the first half is quite compelling. Paul Langton makes for a good leading man, with something of a Jean Gabin quality. More notably, this is the final appearance of the tragic Barbara Payton, whose work I've previously praised in TRAPPED and KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE. Her melancholy, passive performance here is pretty much the polar opposite of Ann Savage, but her vulnerability is an asset. I need to check out more of her films. The film definitely leaves something to be desired, but it has some charm and talent in it.
Below Average Murder Mystery
hogwrassler29 June 2020
Murder Is My Beat (1955) stars Paul Langton as a hard boiled police detective. He captures murder suspect Barbara Payton and she is convicted of murdering a man whose face wound up being off in a fireplace. Somehow, Langton is assigned to escort her to prison. On the train ride, she thinks she sees the supposed victim outside the train. Langton has already fallen for her so they jump off the train and start pursuing the supposed victim. Along the way, Langton's Superior, Robert Shayne (Inspector Henderson on the Superman TV series) finds them and decides to join them in their quest. How is that for believability? Only in Hollywood. Paul Langton had a long career as a supporting actor, mainly in authoritative roles. He isn't convincing as kind of a poor man's Charles McGraw. Barbara Payton was already on the skids and this was her last role. She appears bloated, especially her face, and just speaks her lines without emotion, as though she were reading them off cue cards. I just watched this on TCM and you will enjoy it only if you are a fan of 1950s police dramas.
The main plot idea makes no sense...or at least very little.
planktonrules26 February 2017
The plot of "Murder is My Beat" is one that really doesn't make a lot of sense. To enjoy the film you need to put this aside and just take it for what it is...and entertaining low-budget mystery.
When the film begins, a detective is investigating a murder. The trail leads to a young woman whose current whereabouts are unknown. Eventually, though, he receives a lead that she's staying up in the mountains and despite it being a long and difficult trek there through deep snow, this dedicated cop goes to get her. Once there, she is captured but they have to remain there for several days due to bad weather. During this time, the cop falls for the lady and believes her story about not being involved. But he still does his duty and brings her in for questioning.
Well, apparently everyone believes she is guilty and she is sentenced to prison. The same cop escorts her to prison and on the way, he lets her go and then goes to investigate the case as he's sure she's innocent. Eventually, he's captured by a coworker and eventually the coworker agrees to spend the next 24 hours looking for clues instead of arresting him. Together, they get to the bottom of everything.
Okay...so a respected veteran cop throws his career away and lets a convicted murderer escape. Then, when a coworker finds him, instead of taking him to jail, they both investigate the case. Does this make any sense? Nope...none. But it IS entertaining and worth seeing despite this. Not a great film but for the money, not a bad one either considering it cost only a tiny bit to make.
When the film begins, a detective is investigating a murder. The trail leads to a young woman whose current whereabouts are unknown. Eventually, though, he receives a lead that she's staying up in the mountains and despite it being a long and difficult trek there through deep snow, this dedicated cop goes to get her. Once there, she is captured but they have to remain there for several days due to bad weather. During this time, the cop falls for the lady and believes her story about not being involved. But he still does his duty and brings her in for questioning.
Well, apparently everyone believes she is guilty and she is sentenced to prison. The same cop escorts her to prison and on the way, he lets her go and then goes to investigate the case as he's sure she's innocent. Eventually, he's captured by a coworker and eventually the coworker agrees to spend the next 24 hours looking for clues instead of arresting him. Together, they get to the bottom of everything.
Okay...so a respected veteran cop throws his career away and lets a convicted murderer escape. Then, when a coworker finds him, instead of taking him to jail, they both investigate the case. Does this make any sense? Nope...none. But it IS entertaining and worth seeing despite this. Not a great film but for the money, not a bad one either considering it cost only a tiny bit to make.
Full of twists and impossibilities...a mild noir for the desperate
secondtake1 December 2014
Murder is My Beat (1955)
Director Edgar Ulmer is the one reason you might think of seeing this movie, a creaky story told fairly well. But really there's nothing redeeming about it all. The acting is fine, the filming routine, and the plot so unbelievable you just wonder how they heck they thought it was worth it in the first place.
Well, that's unfair, because it probably looks good on paper. It's the story of a murder squad detective who gets a late call and starts to investigate. This leads to a crazy but fun tromp from L.A. to the mountains in a snowstorm, where he meets the apparent perp and falls in love with her. So now all the rules of being a cop are out the window, and that's the part you have to accept (even when he gets his boss to throw his rules out the window later in the movie).
There probably was an attempt to look at the psychology of a really good cop who suddenly has doubts about himself (because he thinks he made the huge mistake assuming the girl was guilty). There are people with false identities, a cheesy ceramics factory, and a couple more murders. It adds up to some campy fun, but even as a barrel of laughs it doesn't quite hold up, getting slow at times, or becoming just successful enough to draw you in.
Ulmer is famous for making a lot out of a little—or so he did with the early "The Black Cat" back in 1934 or the legendary "Detour" in 1945. There are too many story problems for him to make this one fly, however, so give this a pass unless you're really a fan of Ulmer, or of the waning years of film noir.
Director Edgar Ulmer is the one reason you might think of seeing this movie, a creaky story told fairly well. But really there's nothing redeeming about it all. The acting is fine, the filming routine, and the plot so unbelievable you just wonder how they heck they thought it was worth it in the first place.
Well, that's unfair, because it probably looks good on paper. It's the story of a murder squad detective who gets a late call and starts to investigate. This leads to a crazy but fun tromp from L.A. to the mountains in a snowstorm, where he meets the apparent perp and falls in love with her. So now all the rules of being a cop are out the window, and that's the part you have to accept (even when he gets his boss to throw his rules out the window later in the movie).
There probably was an attempt to look at the psychology of a really good cop who suddenly has doubts about himself (because he thinks he made the huge mistake assuming the girl was guilty). There are people with false identities, a cheesy ceramics factory, and a couple more murders. It adds up to some campy fun, but even as a barrel of laughs it doesn't quite hold up, getting slow at times, or becoming just successful enough to draw you in.
Ulmer is famous for making a lot out of a little—or so he did with the early "The Black Cat" back in 1934 or the legendary "Detour" in 1945. There are too many story problems for him to make this one fly, however, so give this a pass unless you're really a fan of Ulmer, or of the waning years of film noir.
Low-budget
RanchoTuVu27 October 2014
This film only heightens Edgar Ulmer's fame as a great director even if it isn't as great as Detour was.The opening has one detective tracking down another, and the fistfight that follows leads to an intriguing story told in flashback that begins with a scene of a murdered man face-down on a carpet of an apartment with his face in a fireplace, which turns out to be an important part of the plot. Why was one detective beating up the other? Well, the other had fallen in love with the supposed murderer of the dead man in the apartment. After she's convicted of the murder, while he's escorting her on a long train ride to prison, she sees the supposed dead man while looking out the window of the moving train. He's standing on the platform of a station the train had passed by. This has elements of Detour in it, if I remember correctly. In any event, said detective becomes convinced of the possibility of the woman's (Barbara Payton) innocence and they actually jump off the moving train together to get to the bottom of the case. What a brilliant use of the limited funds available to make this movie. But it gets much better as they move closer to the truth, with the owners of a ceramics company (it wasn't Bauer Pottery but it could have been). I couldn't stop watching Murder Is My Beat.
Guilty or not guilty?
JohnHowardReid1 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Copyright 1955 by Allied Artists Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 27 February 1955. U.K. release through Associated British-Pathé: 7 November 1955. Australian release through Paramount: 8 April 1960 (sic). 6,940 feet. 77 minutes. Cut to 70 minutes in Australia.
SYNOPSIS: The body of a Mr. Deane is found with his head in a fireplace, his features burned beyond recognition. Police detectives Ray Patrick and Bert Rawley arrest a nightclub singer, Eden Lane, for the crime, and she is convicted. While Ray and a police matron travel with her to prison, Eden sees a man through the train window that she identifies as the Deane she was convicted of murdering. Ray believes her, and he and Eden leap from the train when it slows for a grade. They walk back to town and days pass while they search in vain.
COMMENT: The script reads like a 25¢ novel and production values are modest - but I liked it. In the hands of director Ulmer and photographer Wellman, it is often visually quite striking. Good atmosphere is built up, despite the constant use of studio cut-ins before an obvious process screen. And in thus one, super sexy Barbara Payton gives a quite creditable account of herself. (I think we can congratulate Edgar G. Ulmer for that otherwise incredible miracle, although I will admit that some of my colleagues went overboard for Miss Payton herself and even decried the fact that she was not nominated for an Academy Award for a "brilliant performance that permits the suggestion of instability beneath the surface calm of the character's visage.")
SYNOPSIS: The body of a Mr. Deane is found with his head in a fireplace, his features burned beyond recognition. Police detectives Ray Patrick and Bert Rawley arrest a nightclub singer, Eden Lane, for the crime, and she is convicted. While Ray and a police matron travel with her to prison, Eden sees a man through the train window that she identifies as the Deane she was convicted of murdering. Ray believes her, and he and Eden leap from the train when it slows for a grade. They walk back to town and days pass while they search in vain.
COMMENT: The script reads like a 25¢ novel and production values are modest - but I liked it. In the hands of director Ulmer and photographer Wellman, it is often visually quite striking. Good atmosphere is built up, despite the constant use of studio cut-ins before an obvious process screen. And in thus one, super sexy Barbara Payton gives a quite creditable account of herself. (I think we can congratulate Edgar G. Ulmer for that otherwise incredible miracle, although I will admit that some of my colleagues went overboard for Miss Payton herself and even decried the fact that she was not nominated for an Academy Award for a "brilliant performance that permits the suggestion of instability beneath the surface calm of the character's visage.")
noir B-movie
SnoopyStyle3 July 2020
Police Captain Bert Rawley tracks down homicide detective Ray Patrick (Paul Langton) hiding in a motel room. Ray begs for 24 hours to finish his investigation. The movie flashes back to Ray initially getting the case of a burnt up dead man. He tracks down the man's girlfriend Eden Lane (Barbara Payton).
Payton starts like a femme fatale although her character is written as a damsel in distress. I don't think she works as either nor both. I don't really like Langton either. What I do like is the start. I like the opening premise despite the weird opening fight. It's a lot of missed opportunities. The last 20 minutes is also a bit disappointing. Quite frankly, the opening scene sets it up so much that Bert sitting down to have a bite would always deflate the tension. It needs to ramp up to an exciting thrilling conclusion but it fails to do that. This is a somewhat functional B-movie but only somewhat.
Payton starts like a femme fatale although her character is written as a damsel in distress. I don't think she works as either nor both. I don't really like Langton either. What I do like is the start. I like the opening premise despite the weird opening fight. It's a lot of missed opportunities. The last 20 minutes is also a bit disappointing. Quite frankly, the opening scene sets it up so much that Bert sitting down to have a bite would always deflate the tension. It needs to ramp up to an exciting thrilling conclusion but it fails to do that. This is a somewhat functional B-movie but only somewhat.
Murder Is My Beat: A Tense and Well Acted Little Film Noir
Denise_Noe31 January 2021
Murder Is My Beat does not compare with Edgar G. Ulmer's masterpiece Detour. Judged on its own terms, Murder Is My Beat is a more than worthwhile little film. Cheaply made, it has several strengths including its interesting plot, believably hardboiled dialogue, tight direction, and good performances. Most of the story is told in flashback as police detective Ray Patrick (Paul Langton) recounts his investigation into the murder of the aging and wealthy Frank Deane. The man has been found bludgeoned to death, his body burned in a fireplace beyond recognition. Clothing and I.D. discovered on the corpse identify the murder victim.
Ray Patrick is soon on the hunt for the suspect, a nightclub singer named Eden Lane (Barbara Payton). The name is obviously chosen to indicate a "bad woman" and the suspect's landlady, Miss Sparrow (Kate McKenna), underlines this when she comments disapprovingly on her tenant's "tight clothes" and remarks on how her first name connotes "original sin." Miss Tight Clothes/Original Sin is on the lam and the committed detective tracks her down, slogging through snow until he finds her hiding out in a cabin owned by the late Frank Deane. World weary and preoccupied, Eden Lane somberly observes, "The only way I can wake up from this nightmare is to go to sleep." However, she seems genuinely shocked to learn Deane is dead. She hit him with a figurine but was it really hard enough to kill him?
It would seem that is was. Patrick soon has the job of escorting the convicted murderer to prison on a train ride. It is on the train that the story takes a sharp turn. "No!" Lane exclaims. "It's Frank Deane." She is absolutely certain that she just saw the man she was convicted of murdering alive and well out the train.
Patrick is scared she is telling the truth and that he is taking her to an undeserved punishment. He agrees to a "detour" (I could not resist) and the pair jump off the train to devote a week to unraveling the mystery of the alive-or-dead murder victim.
The plot takes several major twists and turns before a satisfying resolution occurs. One of the remarkable aspects of Murder Is My Beat is the prominent role played by ceramic figurines. Trains are also used very effectively in opposing ways.
Performances are all around credible and praiseworthy. Paul Langton is suitably hard-boiled and courageous as the detective. However, the most noteworthy performance, in this writer's opinion, is that of Barbara Payton. Sadly, Eden Lane was her last role before the scandal ridden actress was blacklisted from the film industry and slid into alcoholism and prostituting herself for small sums. She did a fine job as Eden Lane. While some other reviewers have criticized her as seeming "bored" by the project, the truth is that she gave a deliberately restrained performance that was perfect for the role. Eden Lane appears haunted and that appearance means that we cannot know whether she is the murderer the jury found her to be or the unjustly convicted person she claims to be. What's more, there is a suggestion of vulnerability in her performance that makes it believable that Langton would find her first intriguing and then captivating.
Murder Is My Beat is an interesting 77 minutes. For Barbara Payton fans, it is a must-see.
Beating murder
TheLittleSongbird26 July 2022
'Murder is My Beat' was one of those films that popped up here as a recommendation by chance, after seeing a few other noir thriller-like films not long before. It is the sort of story that is not novel but always the kind that this reviewer has liked for a long time, and the story sounded interesting. The talent involved and the advertising appealed too, and being a classic/golden age-era film fan really does help. Plus there are plenty of films that are low budget but still manage to be good.
This was something of a mixed bag. Being the sort of film that started off with a lot of promise but lost its way in the second half. It is definitely watchable and has a fair share of good things, but it also contains too many not so good things that are not easy to ignore. There have been a lot of films seen in this genre or with similar stories (mostly in tone) that were highly recommended by me, 'Murder is My Beat' is recommended but not as an essential watch really.
A number of good things here. A big strength is the acting, which is good. Paul Langton has the right amount of charisma and edge, while also not being over the top. Even better is Barbara Payton who manages to bring vulnerability to a potentially passive role. The direction is confident and suggests a director who had experience in the genre and understood it, especially in the moments regarding trains.
Furthermore, there are many nice stylish and moody shots and the music is haunting enough without being melodramatic or overused. The script is taut and suitably uncompromising and the first half is pretty great, very suspenseful and twisty.
It is a shame that the second half doesn't match the first's quality. It meanders in pace and suffers from being needlessly convoluted (due to doing too little with too much that goes on) and unrealistic, due to being too coincidence-heavy and the later ones are too convenient and not particularly plausible.
Do agree too about the conclusion being underwhelming. It does lack suspense, can be seen coming from quite far enough and felt rushed and too tacked on on top of not making any sense. The low budget does show at times, especially in the rear projection which is truly shoddy.
On the whole, worth watching and quite decent but too much of a tale of two halves. 6/10.
This was something of a mixed bag. Being the sort of film that started off with a lot of promise but lost its way in the second half. It is definitely watchable and has a fair share of good things, but it also contains too many not so good things that are not easy to ignore. There have been a lot of films seen in this genre or with similar stories (mostly in tone) that were highly recommended by me, 'Murder is My Beat' is recommended but not as an essential watch really.
A number of good things here. A big strength is the acting, which is good. Paul Langton has the right amount of charisma and edge, while also not being over the top. Even better is Barbara Payton who manages to bring vulnerability to a potentially passive role. The direction is confident and suggests a director who had experience in the genre and understood it, especially in the moments regarding trains.
Furthermore, there are many nice stylish and moody shots and the music is haunting enough without being melodramatic or overused. The script is taut and suitably uncompromising and the first half is pretty great, very suspenseful and twisty.
It is a shame that the second half doesn't match the first's quality. It meanders in pace and suffers from being needlessly convoluted (due to doing too little with too much that goes on) and unrealistic, due to being too coincidence-heavy and the later ones are too convenient and not particularly plausible.
Do agree too about the conclusion being underwhelming. It does lack suspense, can be seen coming from quite far enough and felt rushed and too tacked on on top of not making any sense. The low budget does show at times, especially in the rear projection which is truly shoddy.
On the whole, worth watching and quite decent but too much of a tale of two halves. 6/10.
Job and career
bkoganbing30 January 2015
Director Edgar Ulmer was a great hand at some great noir dramas on budgets as big as dental floss. But his task her with Murder Is My Beat was too much for him.
Detective Paul Langton tracks down and brings in fugitive nightclub singer Barbara Payton wanted for murder of someone whose charred body is found in her fire place. After that Payton is tried and convicted, but says she saw the murdered man big as life outside on the train platform while Langton is taking her to prison.
So what does this cop do? He chucks away his job and career because he has the hots for Payton. The last time anyone behaved so dumb in a noir film it was Robert Mitchum over Jane Greer in Out Of The Past. But that was light years a better film.
Selena Royle is in this film and it's her farewell big screen appearance. She was having blacklist troubles and I will say that Murder Is My Beat was better than Robot Monster which she previously did after MGM dropped her. Robert Shayne took some time off from being Inspector Henderson on Superman to be Langton's captain and friend who tells him in no uncertain terms what a chump he is.
So did Payton commit murder? For that you have to watch this classic inflicted on the public by Allied Artists.
Detective Paul Langton tracks down and brings in fugitive nightclub singer Barbara Payton wanted for murder of someone whose charred body is found in her fire place. After that Payton is tried and convicted, but says she saw the murdered man big as life outside on the train platform while Langton is taking her to prison.
So what does this cop do? He chucks away his job and career because he has the hots for Payton. The last time anyone behaved so dumb in a noir film it was Robert Mitchum over Jane Greer in Out Of The Past. But that was light years a better film.
Selena Royle is in this film and it's her farewell big screen appearance. She was having blacklist troubles and I will say that Murder Is My Beat was better than Robot Monster which she previously did after MGM dropped her. Robert Shayne took some time off from being Inspector Henderson on Superman to be Langton's captain and friend who tells him in no uncertain terms what a chump he is.
So did Payton commit murder? For that you have to watch this classic inflicted on the public by Allied Artists.
discover the joys of figurine making
coffeengreens23 July 2001
Mid way through this movie there is a scene at a figurine factory complete with workers on the assembly line. It has nothing really to do with the movie and looks like it was taken straight taken from one of those 50s instructional films. It may have been the peak of Murder is my Beat.
It's Ulmer--Nuff Said Guys
fchase-724745 June 2017
I know Yorick's legions of fans have been clamoring for his insightful clever words on this strange-o flick, but I have to admit all the other reviewers have got it covered. But do check out on the "critic" side the Michael E. Grost entry--mucho to think about. The movie's so flat and affect-less it creates its own mood of somnambulistic surrealism. It's Ulmer, baby!
The Cliché of the Disfigured Corpse
disinterested_spectator22 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
A man is found with his face in a fireplace, his face burnt to a crisp. Since his hands are also in the fireplace, there are no fingerprints. If only the detective had realized he was in a movie. Then he would have known that whenever a character in a movie is supposedly dead, but either his corpse has never been found or is disfigured beyond recognition, then that character is not dead. Examples of movies with a missing corpse are "My Favorite Wife" (1940) and "Mr. Lucky" (1943); examples of disfigured corpses are "Laura" (1944) and "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984). By the time the detective realizes this, it is too late. We have already had to sit through a movie that is both dumb and boring.
Movie
andrenalin_042 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Mr. Dean's body is found face down in the fireplace, his features burned beyond recognition. Detectives Patrick (Paul Langton) and Rawley (Robert Shayne) arrest nightclub-singer Eden Lane (Barbara Payton) and she is convicted of the crime. On the way to prison, Eden sees a man through the train window, identifying him as the murderer, and Patrick and Eden jump from the train to search for the man. In a series of plot twists, the murderer is found, and Eden and Patrick are reunited. Directer Edgar G. Ulmer uses flashbacks and elliptical editing to good effect, but the film lacks any strong visual or narrative center. Barbara Peyton delivers a great performance as the ambiguous, mysterious femme-fatale. While still of some interest, Murder is My Beat lacks the power and grim vision of Ulmer's bleak gem, Detour.
Crime mystery strands neatly tied up at the climax but little suspense in getting there
Turfseer13 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Even screenwriters working on significant films in the crime genre such as The Big Sleep made the mistake of forgetting to show crucial events on screen. Instead, crucial plot points are only described later as they are done here in Murder is my Beat.
The film opens as the film's protagonist, Detective Ray Patrick (Paul Langton) narrates in a flashback a murder he was assigned to investigate. A man named Frank Deane is found lying face down in a fireplace his face and hands burned beyond recognition. We never see the actual murder.
A lot of (screen) time is wasted with Patrick trudging up through the snow to Deane's Mountain lodge where he arrests Deane's girlfriend Eden Lane (Barbara Payton).
Payton, once an up-and-coming starlet five years earlier (and now in her final film after continual bouts with alcoholism) doesn't have much to do as the fallen nightclub singer except convince Patrick that she's seen Deane alive as they travel on a train back to the city after she's been convicted of Deane's murder.
Patrick believes Eden's tale that she's innocent so goes on the lam promising her they'll try to get to the bottom of what happened in a week's time-if nothing comes to pass then he'll have to escort her back so she can be then locked up.
Patrick is joined by his boss Detective Rawley (Robert Shayne of "Superman" Inspector Henderson fame) who locates the errant detective but going against regulations agrees to postpone arresting his subordinate in order to see if they can figure out whether Lane is truly innocent.
The only thing that really holds our interest in this film is finding out who really killed Deane.
It turns out that Deane is an alias for a private eye who was hired by the owner of a ceramics factory Abbott (Roy Gordon), the actual killer. Not only does he murder the private eye (whom we never see) but we're also led to believe Lane's roommate Patsy Flint (Tracy Roberts) as well. It seems she was bribing him all along threatening to reveal his relationship with Sloan to his wife.
But in a good twist, it's Abbott's wife Beatrice who does Patsy in, only soon to commit suicide by jumping off the train they're on.
The ending is kind of satisfying as all the loose ends are neatly tired up but not much happens in between the time Lane sees who she believes is Deane on the train to the time when Abbott is revealed as the actual killer.
With Payton having little to do in her part and the unlikely scenario of Rawley agreeing to give Patrick the extra day to solve the crime, this "B" noir is passable entertainment but never rises above the appellation of standard crime mystery fare.
The film opens as the film's protagonist, Detective Ray Patrick (Paul Langton) narrates in a flashback a murder he was assigned to investigate. A man named Frank Deane is found lying face down in a fireplace his face and hands burned beyond recognition. We never see the actual murder.
A lot of (screen) time is wasted with Patrick trudging up through the snow to Deane's Mountain lodge where he arrests Deane's girlfriend Eden Lane (Barbara Payton).
Payton, once an up-and-coming starlet five years earlier (and now in her final film after continual bouts with alcoholism) doesn't have much to do as the fallen nightclub singer except convince Patrick that she's seen Deane alive as they travel on a train back to the city after she's been convicted of Deane's murder.
Patrick believes Eden's tale that she's innocent so goes on the lam promising her they'll try to get to the bottom of what happened in a week's time-if nothing comes to pass then he'll have to escort her back so she can be then locked up.
Patrick is joined by his boss Detective Rawley (Robert Shayne of "Superman" Inspector Henderson fame) who locates the errant detective but going against regulations agrees to postpone arresting his subordinate in order to see if they can figure out whether Lane is truly innocent.
The only thing that really holds our interest in this film is finding out who really killed Deane.
It turns out that Deane is an alias for a private eye who was hired by the owner of a ceramics factory Abbott (Roy Gordon), the actual killer. Not only does he murder the private eye (whom we never see) but we're also led to believe Lane's roommate Patsy Flint (Tracy Roberts) as well. It seems she was bribing him all along threatening to reveal his relationship with Sloan to his wife.
But in a good twist, it's Abbott's wife Beatrice who does Patsy in, only soon to commit suicide by jumping off the train they're on.
The ending is kind of satisfying as all the loose ends are neatly tired up but not much happens in between the time Lane sees who she believes is Deane on the train to the time when Abbott is revealed as the actual killer.
With Payton having little to do in her part and the unlikely scenario of Rawley agreeing to give Patrick the extra day to solve the crime, this "B" noir is passable entertainment but never rises above the appellation of standard crime mystery fare.
murder is my beat
mossgrymk24 November 2022
1950s director Edgar G. Ulmer is so unabashedly and crudely "B" that he makes Sam Fuller look like George Cukor. And indeed the title will tip you off to this film's main defects, which are stilted, campy dialogue and narration (especially the later) as well as too melodramatic acting from Paul Langton and non acting from the alluring but phlegmatic, Barbara Payton. Ultimately redeeming the movie, however, is a mood and look that is best described as Jim Thompson Meets Hitchcock (or at least Hitch's 50s TV series) and that takes in oppressive blizzards, isolated mountain cabins, sleazy Los Angeles bars, central valley railroad stations, a figurine factory and a "dog kennel" motel. And it is this unsettling visual magic woven by Ulmer and his cinematographer Harold E. Wellman that kept me watching to the very end of a blackmail and murder mystery that is best described as "standard". Give it...what else?...a B.
PS...I actually found Tracey Roberts, who played Patsy Flint, sexier than Ms. Payton. But then I've never been a blonde man.
PS...I actually found Tracey Roberts, who played Patsy Flint, sexier than Ms. Payton. But then I've never been a blonde man.
Not all that bad!
bowiebks18 March 2002
This is no masterpiece but is a modestly entertaining crime movie...not "noir" by any stretch either but the performances from a good group of "B" players are not bad, and anyway you don't get too much chance to see Barbara Payton in movies. Just don't expect any competition for The Big Heat or The Maltese Falcon and you should have a good time!
could have done better
pogodog730 October 2022
While watching this movie, all I could think about is it should have been done by RKO in 1950 with Robert Mitchum and Lisbeth Scott and definitely put some money into the production to avoid all of those semi-imposed scenes, which are so distracting. The plot was fine even though I figured everything out about 20 minutes into the movie.
Robert Shayne was truly an underrated actor. He started out with Warner Brothers making short westerns. As soon as I saw him, I yelled Lieutenant Henderson. That was his role on the Superman series. He was a solid professional that never got his big break.
Langdon was very stiff as usual and Peyton, by this this had lost her looks, which is usually why she was hired even thought she was always very competent on the screen. By this time her face was very puffy and her figure was a little plump.
The best acting came from the beautiful Tracey Roberts, who at 41 looked 25 and was built ever so fine. She was a yummy.
Robert Shayne was truly an underrated actor. He started out with Warner Brothers making short westerns. As soon as I saw him, I yelled Lieutenant Henderson. That was his role on the Superman series. He was a solid professional that never got his big break.
Langdon was very stiff as usual and Peyton, by this this had lost her looks, which is usually why she was hired even thought she was always very competent on the screen. By this time her face was very puffy and her figure was a little plump.
The best acting came from the beautiful Tracey Roberts, who at 41 looked 25 and was built ever so fine. She was a yummy.
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