Noir City: The Burglar

(1957) dir Paul Wendkos w/Dan Duryea, Jayne Mansfield, Martha Vickers [90 min; 35mm]

Veteran safecracker Nat Harbin (Duryea) has enough on his hands, trying to get away clean with the spoils from a daring B&E – without having to shield his ‘ward,’ nubile, voluptuous Gladden (Mansfield) from his rough and randy crew. The psychosexual dynamics of Goodis’ tale grows steadily darker as Nat tries to outrun his destiny. Featuring noir favorite Duryea at his world-weary best, and a surprising turn from Martha (The Big Sleep) Vickers. The guilt-laden caper is given a stylized visual workout by whiz-kid director Wendkos. One of the few films of the late ‘50s to capture the fatalistic feel of classic noir.

A "Double Feature" ticket additionally allows admission into the 4:15 PM screening of MURDER BY CONTRACT. No additional purchase is necessary.