Blast of Silence (1961) is a true oddity: most agree the so-called "classic noir" cycle ended around the late 1950s and that so-called "neo-noir" didn't make an appearance until the late 1960s with films like Point Blank. But Blast is a little independent noir about a hit-man in New York during Christmastime, made in 1959 and released in 1961. As far as noir goes, it's rather obscure, probably due to its lack of big names behind or before the camera. It's a shame, because to my mind, both Blast and its director/writer/star Allen Baron are unjustly unsung.One thing which sets Blast apart from A level noir like Double Indemnity, Out of the Past, or even grimy fare like Ace in the Hole is its total lack of glamor. The movie was shot on location guerrilla style, capturing the feel of late 1950s New York without any studio gloss and lending Blast a sense of authenticity. You really feel the atmosphere of the streets, the bars, the grimy apartments where both denizens of the underworld and ordinary folks just scraping by spend their nights. None of the actors are what anyone would call gorgeous or exuding Hollywood charisma; everyone is very ordinary-looking. The acting is weird, sometimes even what one would call weak-- though I would also argue this is a strength, especially in the case of Allen Baron as hit-man Frankie Bono.In many ways, Frankie Bono feels like a proto-Travis Bickle. He too seems to see himself as "God's lonely man," cut off from normal people, uncomfortable with human contact when it comes his way. Like Bickle, we know little of Bono's past, though from his rare outbursts on the subject, we can tell it wasn't so swell. Bono rides the line between being sympathetic and monstrous: he has a sadistic streak and seems to take pleasure in stalking his targets. In one of the most shocking moments of the movie, he even attempts to sexually assault his childhood sweetheart after she invites him over for Christmas out of pity, since violence is the only way he seems to communicate anything, including desire. Baron's performance has often been criticized as "stiff," but this actually fits his misanthropic, socially awkward character. This "stiffness" also makes his violent outbursts and sadistic actions all the more effective.Another controversial element of the movie seems to be the voice over narration. VO narration is common in noir, but it's usually done by the main character; here we have an unseen narrator who directly addresses Frankie himself ("You like being alone-- by now, it's your trademark." "Soon you learned to let the hate out another way."). We have no clue who this narrator is-- it could be God or some guy down the street, or it could even be Frankie himself, so alienated from people that he cannot directly address himself. You may find it intrusive, distracting, or even cheesy, but I personally love the voice-over in Blast of Silence. It's hardboiled and bizarre-- much like the movie as a whole!Blast of Silence is my favorite film noir: it's rough around the edges to be sure, but it features a fascinating anti-hero and a snapshot of 1950s New York City. If you liked Taxi Driver, then you may like this too, as it feels like an older version of the Scorsese film, all the while retaining its own wonderfully weird identity.

Blast of SilenceChristmas shopping is easy for a hit man because everyone on his list gets a bullet.But as this drama demonstrates it's the other traditions that distress an assassin this time of year.Dispatched to New York over the holidays to deal with a low-level mob boss (Peter Clune), Cleveland contract killer Frankie Bono (Allen Baron) is uneasy with returning to his hometown.His unflappable nature is further tested when he encounters an old friend from the orphanage and reignites a holiday romance with her (Molly McCarthy).However, Frankie's violent lifestyle doesn't quite mesh with his old acquaintances.The most honest portrayal of a professional killer ever produced, this haunting 1961 noir Christmas story captures the pathos and loneliness akin to a killer's career, and the callousness needed to endure it.By the way, the only gift a mobster wants from Santa at Christmas is his help moving a body. Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

It seems there is some kind of connection between a movie being black and white, low-budget and receiving more positive reviews than it actually deserves. Since I love noir movies, I had lots of expectations of Blast of Silence, but the one word that best describes this movie is: dull. To use a line from a Monty Python's sketch: "It's dull, dull, dull..." Almost nothing happens during the entire movie! The music is very annoying, but the worst part is the narration: it fills the whole movie and destroys any tension it could have had, if any. Plot consists in the main character uninterruptedly going from one place to another. Completely overrated and the proof that IMDb ratings are not at all reliable.

Allen Baron established himself in 1961 as one of America's most promising new filmmakers with Blast of Silence, a noir thriller that he wrote, directed and starred in. He practically disappeared from the industry afterwards, directing only a handful of other projects that haven't lasted the test of time and mostly working in the television field, but his debut feature lives on as a gritty, atmospheric work of art. Immediately, the film explodes onto the screen, surrounding the viewer with sounds of a child being born, as we are narrated through child birth and find ourselves inching closer and closer to a distant light. The style is unique and very aggressive, as Baron is essentially giving birth to his audience into the world he's about to shove us down.The premise is a simple one, stripped down to it's essentials as Baron's hit-man Frank Bono is sent from Cleveland to New York in order to perform a job. It's a standard pulp set-up, but Baron constructs it all in a bold and innovative fashion. For starters, most of the dialogue is told through narration, but the narrator is his own character and tells everything from the second-person. Baron creates Bono as his audience, having the narrator refer to the character as "you", telling us what is happening in our mind in response to the surroundings. It's an absorbing technique that draws you in quickly and he utilizes it for the entire picture.We are constantly reminded of how Bono wants to be alone, but over and over he finds himself having to confront one person or another, be it an old flame or an overweight gun dealer and his pet rats. Baron surrounds us in chaos, a technique which gets us to deeply appreciate the serenity of isolation we are often told about. There's not much violence in the picture, but when it does come on screen it is surprisingly graphic for it's time. Thanks to some quick, chaotic editing, each moment of violence is unsettling and as aggressive as the style itself. We see Bono walk the streets of New York casually, but after seeing the violence that he is capable of this simple act takes on a much more grim and intimidating tone. The whole film has a very gritty, bleak atmosphere that is perfectly contrasted by the seasonal setting, occurring in the period from right before Christmas Day into the New Year.Blast of Silence is just what it's title suggests, an explosion of an isolated creature into a world that he wasn't ready for; or maybe it wasn't ready for him. Constantly it feels like Bono doesn't belong, and Baron utilizes this to give the film an uneasy tone, as if something dangerous could be coming at any turn. There's a theme of social unrest that lurks in the background at all times and Bono is just another of the many unruly citizens who occupy our common streets. It's a shame that Baron didn't continue displaying his immense talent after this one, because it really is one of the finest debut features I've come across.