The Reckless Moment Reviews

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a solid reputation (it is included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list among other things), I was quite eager to check it out. Well, eventually, it turned out to be a solid film noir, no doubt out it but, to be honest, the plot was slightly too thin for my taste. On the other hand, there is no denying that both Joan Bennett and James Mason gave some strong performances here. Indeed, I have to admit that I wasn’t really familiar with Bennett before watching this movie but she managed to be really convincing as a housewife and, yet, she was still quite charismatic at the same time and this balance act was trickier than it looked. It was also intriguing how she managed her whole household on her own and, at the same time, she constantly kept her cool while being involved with homicides, blackmail and gangsters. On the other hand, I was quite familiar with James Mason and the guy, as usual, didn’t disappoint me. Indeed, within a few seconds he appeared on the screen, Mason delivered one of the most unique blackmailer I have ever seen. On one hand, it was really obvious that the guy really meant business but, on the other hand, there was also something strikingly gentle and polite about him which would be the last thing you would expect from someone working in this line of business. Eventually, I was really on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen to these 2 very interesting characters. However, it was a rather short movie (not even 90 mins) so, after only 10 mins, Donelly was already in love with Lucia Harper. In my opinion, this development occurred way too soon and slightly ruined the whole thing for me because, among other things, the whole thing went on auto-pilot from this point on. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch though and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.