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!

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.

***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.

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!