It's not often we're blessed with renowned Los Angeles musician John Doe in the lead of a feature film: a resume where the 1992 biker-road flick "Roadside Prophets" (1992) serves as one of the rarities, while the 2007 rom-com "Ten Inch Hero" (2007) offers one of his best.
Upon first awareness of John Doe fronting this noir thriller helmed by ex-radio DJ-turned-filmmaker Kurt St. Thomas (the duo filmed 2001's "The Red Right Hand"), fans clamored for this loosely-based, retro-remake of the Rudolph Maté classic (cinephiles recall Maté was the cinematographer on Carl Theodore Dreyer's 1932 masterpiece, "Vampyr," as well as the director of the 1951 sci-fi disaster classic, "When World's Collide").
How did this St. Augustine, Florida-produced film come to fruition?
As with the four previous remakes of the 1950 original -- the Australian-made "Color Me Dead" (1969), the "official" Dennis Quaid remake (1988), a modernized inversion starring Jason Statham, "Crank" (1988), and the poorly-received "Dead on Arrival" (2017; starring the likable DB Sweeney as the modernized gumshoe) -- a copyright clerical error at Cardinal Pictures, the production company behind the noir original, lapsed the story into the public domain.
Of the above noted remakes -- and while most of the plot elements of this $50,000-budgeted production are original to the film -- this is the most faithful adaptation, courtesy of St. Thomas producing it as a black and period piece set in 1949. His choosing to set the noirish narrative in the quaint, seaside town of St. Augustine, Florida -- with its photogenic mix of 19th century and '50s-styled architecture, including a spotlight of the town's 1870-built lighthouse -- lends to the film's authenticity; a realism buoyed by production designer Bonnie Druckenmiller acquiring period-correct vintage cars, as well as dressing makeshift warehouse, set-built hospital rooms with a major studio-level quality on a shoestring budget.
Another highlight is the black and white camera work by 2nd unit/camera department warhorse Peter Berglund (2009's "Iron Man," 2012's "Dredd," and 2015's "Straight Outta Compton"). On a production that couldn't afford a steady cam or chapman dolly -- to pull off a stunning dolly shot with a $50.00-used wheelchair acquired from a local Goodwill -- well, the next time Berglund's name appears on a film's credits: I'm streaming that film.
For those not familiar with the noir genre, they can rely on this Nicholas Griffin-penned screenplay (2003's "Matchstick Men" starring Nicolas Cage; 2010's "Knight and Day" starring Tom Cruise) as a well-written introduction -- and a refresher course to noir fans -- that'll inspire a (re)watch of the original. It will also inspire one's exploration of the unfamiliar acting resume of John Doe: perhaps you recall his sniveling turn as Pat McGurn in 1989's "Road House," as one of his many support roles in over sixty films.
As was Edward O'Brien in the original: John Doe is Detective Frank Bigelow. In voiced-over flashback: he confesses a story of being hired by a femme fatale socialite that leads to his deadly poising -- and his against-the-clock investigation to find the killer. Clues discovered during the investigation are offered by the familiar, always-welcomed TV/film actors Lucinda Jenney (2019's "Three from Hell") and John Byner (1983's "Stoker Ace" with Burt Reynolds, 1997's "Wishmaster"). Yes, that's former "120 Minutes" MTV VJ Matt Pinfeld antagonizing John Doe -- and he equally shines in his support role.
If you enjoyed Joel and Ethan Coen's "The Big Lebowski" (1998) -- itself based on the detective fiction of Raymond Chandler, books which fueled several film noirs of the '40s and '50s -- you'll enjoy this updated homage to the era. As with that Coen-made, noir-inversion: the reviews on Kurt St. Thomas's take will probably be streamer-mixed-to-the-negative due to its against-the-budget, independent production values that those weaned on major studio films may not appreciate; however, reviews on the Coen's (major studio) effort eventually shifted to the cult status-positive.
This professionally-produced film noir redux on a budget quickly became a multiple film festival award winner that quietly made its debut on steaming platforms in October 2023. It's a highly-suggested watch, for it is independent filmmaking at its finest.
