Since the definition of the term, critics and audiences have struggled to find a decisive way to define what constitutes film noir. However, there are certain tropes that are more prominent than others. One of the most important is the conflicted protagonist. Film noir are full of dark, brooding leads who struggle in vain to escape some past sin. Police Detective Dixon is one of these men. He's a loose cannon who's prone to attacking and beating suspects. However, at his heart he wants to do what's right. Notice, I didn't say he was a good man...he just hates people who do evil. When he is officially threatened with demotion if he keeps up his antics, he tries to reform. However, during a private interrogation, a suspect attacks him, forcing him to fight back. He accidentally kills the other man who happened to be a war veteran with a silver plate in his head. Here's the problem: he dumps the body in the river instead of coming clean out of fear of losing his job. However, this leads to an innocent man getting pinned for the murder. Now he must find a way to clear his name without revealing his own guilt. A fascinating film, it seems to follow the outline of classical tragedy more than your run-of-the-mill detective/film noir stock. The kicker is that Dixon knows that he's trapped...but he wants to make sure that he takes one last hood down with him. Who says if you have to fall, you have to fall alone?
8/10
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