APPOINTMENT WITH CRIME (1946)

If I haven't made it clear that I'm a tremendous "Doctor Who" fanatic, the second I found out that this film was available I made it my priority to watch it. And here we are!

What's the connection? Two words: William Hartnell. THE ORIGINAL DOCTOR!


First, the elephant in the room. Appointment With Crime is a very banal title. But, it's a darn decent little noir film.


Leo Martin (Hartnell) has been hired by Loman (Raymond Lovell) to do a smash and grab in public, in broad daylight. Martin throws a brick through a window to steal some jewelry. A gate falls and shatters his wrists! And, he's caught. As Martin goes to jail, he's furious at Loman.


Next scene, Martin is out, ready for revenge. His wrists are in braces (so cool looking). He seethes with bitterness. His mind has become twisted. He remembers Loman's kind promises. And he's so rigid he looks like he could explode with fury at any second!


He visits Loman first, saying he wants a job. Loman patronizes him about being a bungler and having crappy wrists. So, Martin rips off Loman to make a point. He steals Loman's gun, and then uses it to frame Loman for a murder.


Martin has a clever alibi. He dances with cutie named Carol Dane (Joyce Howard) at Loman's club. He cleverly set aside a couple of Orangeades earlier (there's a rush for them) and while he goes to "get them" he murders a cab driver and hits up Loman for 200 quid for the murder weapon. Done, he goes back, retrieves the drinks, and voila! Alibi. Martin and Carol actually hit it off, too. She has a soft spot for pitiable losers.


Canadian Detective Inspector Rogers (Robert Beatty), who, we're told, is training with Scotland Yard, investigates. He talks to some usual suspects, boringly, and the last one is Martin. Martin is furious that the police are pestering him when he just wants to go straight. We know he's lying, so we see Martin's duplicity. For a while, we watch Rogers trying to figure out Martin. It's good, but not great, drama.


Meanwhile... Loman goes to effete antiquities dealer and super-secret criminal Gregory Lang (Herbert Lom).


It turns out the gun Martin is keeping to frame Loman with actually belongs to Gregory. This upsets Gregory, so he has probably lover Noel (Alan Wheatley, from the second "Doctor Who" serial, "The Daleks") facilitate Loman's death and Martin's capture.

A tiny eccentric man in a bowler hat threatens Martin with crushing his wrists, which works. Martin and Gregory make a deal while Rogers gets closer. Martin continues to lead Carol on, the poor girl. Rogers gets the evidence he needs and convinces Carol that Martin is not a good guy, though.


The climax: Martin steals a diamond. Brings it and the gun to Gregory for 500 quid (I don't have the symbol for the British pound). A fight erupts. Martin shoots Gregory three times. It's great. Gregory slumps in the chair, lifeless and dead, but then he coughs from all of the gun smoke in the room. It's "real".

In the getaway train, Carol confronts Martin about his lies. Roger arrives and corners Martin. He tries to jump out the window, but the window slams down on... his wrists!

This is the kind of noir that exists in its own bizarre comic book world. Weird characters, no real sense of place, drastic shadows and angles, and our anti-hero speaks in a stiff, nearly robotic tone.

The film doesn't crackle, but William Hartnell is excellent. It's quite a performance. His insane small-time hood commands our attention. There's nothing greater than watching a favored, even beloved, actor just be great, but still have those tiny, familiar little touches that remind you that, yes, it's him (or her).

Everything else about the film is mostly dull, especially in comparison to Hartnell's presence, and the plot is fairly simple. But, given one's proper attention, it is engrossing enough.

Appointment With Crime has 23 votes on IMDb HERE. The film is not available on VHS or DVD. It is, though, available on Netflix Instant.

And this is for all of us true "Doctor Who" fans: