Crime Wave (1953)

Lines between cops and robbers, good and evil, just and unjust — are all obscured in a cacophony of desire by Andre DeToth in “Crime Wave.”  Shot in just thirteen days, there is a fittingly relentless rhythm to “Wave,” which assures all involved that — not only does crime…

theriverjordan

An ex-con and a crisis of conscience: Classic L.A. pulp, the ink still bleeding off the page. The tabloid heat is tempered with chilly moral ambiguity, constantly challenging the credibility gap, and that's just the point. Bad decisions set the gears in motion, and all…

cult_vegetables

Born on May 15th in Makó, Austria-Hungary (with his sun in Taurus and moon in Virgo) Andre de Toth came to Hollywood in 1942 after a short stint directing Hungarian films and working under fellow Hungarian émigré Alexander Korda in England. He was known for his fierce…

The Film Foundation

Quick, cinephiles, what’s Doris Day’s greatest film? No. No. No. It’s Andre de Toth’s Crime Wave. What? You don’t remember DoDa in that film? Well, who’s that singing “S’Wonderful” on the radio in Dub Taylor’s service station at the beginning of the film? If…

noir1946

I feel like I often use the term 'documentary-like' to describe some of these black & white crime films from the 40's and 50's, but "Crime Wave" truly earns that descriptor: the story feels stripped bare of anything but the most essential facts, I don't recall any…

HKFanatic

Man alive does this movie look good. Noirs that use light as well as they do shadow are rarer than you’d think, but it’s the brightness of DeToth’s film that is its most striking feature. In the daylight — as with the climax of the film — LA is on display in all of its…

sakana1

A brutally bleak little noir lightened slightly by a rare figure in crime movies: An empathetic parole officer (played by veteran character actor James Bell) who trusts his men and roots for their rehabilitation. Whether his kindness will make a lick of difference for his…

Matt Singer

This is the 3rd Andre de Toth film I’ve seen and I believe I have found a new director to deep dive on. Crime Wave doesn’t hold the weight of Day of the Outlaw or even House of Wax, but it’s a great straight to the point crime film and a lot to chew up for a 73 minute…

JosephK

3rd André de Toth (after The House of Wax and Day of the Outlaw) If you wanted proof that de Toth is one of the greats, look what he was making the same year as Crime Wave; my favourite horror of the 50s, House of Wax. Besides de Toth in the director's chair, you've got…

Doc Lyon