I Walk Alone
I Walk Alone
NR | 31 December 1947 (USA)
I Walk Alone Trailers

Bootleggers on the lam Frankie and Noll split up to evade capture by the police. Frankie is caught and jailed, but Noll manages to escape and open a posh New York City nightclub. 14 years later, Frankie is released from the clink and visits Noll with the intention of collecting his half of the nightclub's profits. But Noll, who has no intention of being so equitable, uses his ex-girlfriend Kay to divert Frankie from his intended goal.

Reviews
Flyerplesys Perfectly adorable
Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Keira Brennan The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.
Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
mark.waltz Having spent 14 years in prison for crimes during prohibition, the melancholy Burt Lancaster has returned home to try to muscle in on what he rightfully believes is partially his, now controlled by old pal Kirk Douglas who has turned their previous illegal enterprise into a corporation. Douglas's bookkeeper (Wendell Corey), a younger brother figure to Lancaster, has greatly aged in Lancaster's time away, obviously consumed with guilt over the illegal activities he has had to do at Douglas's demands, and now must keep Lancaster at bay as well. Lancaster takes it into his own hands to try to force his way in, but as Douglas charmingly tells him, only the board of directors can approve such changes. This leads to Douglas having Lancaster badly beaten up and turns Douglas's songstress mistress (Lizabeth Scott) onto Lancaster's side, tired of Douglas's involvement with a pushy, wealthy widow (Kristen Miller). Sudden betrayal leads to Lancaster being accused of murder, and along with Scott, Lancaster must find a way of clearing his name and see justice finally served, in this case, a cold dish as justice through revenge is normally presented.Along with "The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers", "Desert Fury" and many others, this is a series of Hal B. Wallis produced film noirs where many of the same actors got together as sort of a repertoire company to show off the dark sides of the post war society. Whether returning from war duty, prison, out of town jobs or just drifting along, many of the protagonists here found themselves up against evils they couldn't control, yet were far from noble characters themselves. Lancaster's Frankie is moody, amoral and not above breaking the law. Yet he is aware that he had broke the law which sent him up the river, but is bitter because nobody from the old rackets stood beside him. Douglas, smiling and sly, is a great villain, while Corey is appropriately stone cold as a character barely living whom Lancaster notices seems older than him even though he's younger. Scott, who could go from cold and calculating to purring like a kitten, is a combination of a vixen and a very melancholy baby, but knowing when a bad deal is done, even by the man she thinks she loves. Originally considered for Scott's role, Kristen Miller is deliciously bitchy and cold as the nasty socialite keeping Douglas under her thumb. Unfortunately, her role is underdeveloped, and she pretty much disappears from the second half of the film.Having seen Lancaster (in a good guy role), Scott (in a very similar part) and Corey (in a supporting role with homosexual overtones) in the color film noir "Desert Fury", I wanted to see how this would compare, and found it to be even better. Douglas basically plays the type of part that John Hodiak had been cast in "Desert Fury", but there are enough twists and turns to make this unique. The film is elaborately designed and photographed, especially the elegant nightclub, and deliciously darkly lit for the intense finale where everything comes out into the open. Then there are some great outdoor shots of Lancaster and Scott on the run, going back into the city for the final confrontation, unconcerned about Lancaster being looked for by the police for murder as he knows they would be looking for him the opposite way. The musical score in the background nicely adds to the tension, although i would have loved to have heard the title song used more often rather than the upbeat jazzy way it is briefly heard. Still, this is one of the better late 40's film noir with an outstanding cast and everything else pulling it together in a tight little package.
jotix100 The friendship of Frankie Madison and Noll "Dink" Turner was solid during the prohibition era of the country. They had a good scheme going until Frankie is caught with the goods he is bringing to their speakeasy in Manhattan. Madison has to serve fourteen years for the crime. When he is released from prison, Dave , a mutual friend who now works for Turner is sent to meet the ex-con and help him settle down.Frankie, who wants to be paid for the time he spent in jail, has a lot to square away with his former friend. Madison is taken aback when he goes to pay a visit to Dink's new club. Not only is it posh, it caters to a high class crowd! In the club he meets two ladies, one the headliner, Kay Lawrence, who is involved with Turner, and Mrs. Richarson, a high society type. Turner wants to use Kay to pump information from Madison, but he soon discovers the duplicity, but in reality, the singer's heart is not into betraying Frankie, who she seems to have taken a liking to. On the other hand, Mrs. Richardson can't get her hands on this new arrival the way she has gotten away with Dink.Dink feels threatened by Madison's arrival into the scene. When they have an argument about the money owed to Frankie, Dink has a plan to get rid of his friend. Dave, the accountant, who has been called to explain to Madison the intricacies of the corporation that owns the club, sees what Dink is trying to do. Frankie Madison gets a chance to get what is due to him. He also gets to keep the gorgeous Kay! "I Walk Alone", directed by Byron Haskin, is a good example of those films that came out after WWII. It's worth a look because of the marvelous cast assembled to appear in it. "I Walk Alone" marks the first time Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas appeared together in movies. Although the top billing is given to Wendell Corey, he has little to do in it. The husky-voiced Lizabeth Scott plays the sultry Kay Lawrence with her usual flair. She is beautifully dressed by Edith Head.Victor Young's musical score and Leo Tover's cinematography contribute to the overall success of this movie.
dbdumonteil The screenplay and the directing may seem a bit hackneyed to some,but Lancaster's problems,trapped in the mystery of economics and club management are rather intriguing.The essential lies elsewhere:watching the Lancaster/Douglas team is enough to satisfy the cine buff;they are so good than even when they work with inferior material,they are still better than most of the rest. Douglas is icily suave,treating his old pal to a meal of canard à l'orange with vintage Champagne.But if looks could kill,his certainly would.Lancaster is a mistreated,thrown into jail (14 years!),cheated good guy ,but who will play fair game till the end.Between these two men ,there's of course a woman:unlike today's female parts,this one is not sacrificed .Lizabeth Scott's performance is first-class and on a par with the two male parts.Too bad her career should have ended so prematurely.She easily equals Laureen Bacall,she's even more human.It's strange how Douglas 's first parts were often villains (this movie,the loves of Martha Ivers) which culminated with Billy Wilder's highly superior "the big carnival".This movie proves that three good leads can give a banal plot substance.
Stephen R. Taylor After waiting for years to see this fine film-noir, I finally did today. Two young hoodlums (Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas) are running illegal booze into another county during prohibition and get chased by the cops. The two separate after one of the cops is killed, and Douglas escapes, but Lancaster is caught and goes to jail. 14 years later, Lancaster is out and finds that Douglas has gone legit and is the owner of a major nightclub and doing quite well. Lancaster feels Douglas owes him something, and wants to become a full partner. Douglas then makes plans to eliminate him. Part of Douglas's plans include using his own mistress (Lizabeth Scott) to lead Lancaster on. A good thriller all around,predictable at times but very stylish, gritty and involving all the time. A "can't miss" for noir-fans.