Martin Bradley
The title might suggest a weepie of sorts but "Too Late for Tears" is a film noir and a fairly mediocre one at that. It's actually got a very good story (by Roy Huggins from his 'Saturday Evening Post' serial), but the treatment is poor. Lizabeth Scott is the greedy femme fatale who will stop at nothing, including murder, to hold onto the bag of money that lands in her lap, or at least in her car. Scott was never much of an actress and she's terrible here. As the blackmailer whose money she steals Dan Duryea is his usual excellent self and there's a nice supporting turn from Arthur Kennedy as Scott's sap of her husband. As I said it's got a decent enough story but director Byron Haskin wasn't the man to do anything with it and it just limps along to its rather torturous conclusion.
sambatex
I agree w/many people here... "Too Late for Tears" (aka: Killer Bait) is one of my fave noir flicks. Though beautiful, Liz Scott's slightly off kilter features often gave her a slightly venal look which hurt her in the Hollywood starlet sweepstakes but match up perfectly with the role of Jane Palmer, without question her best ever. We watch with fascination and a growing tingle of terror as she transforms from a mousy, dissatisfied housewife into an overpowering, absolutely lethal femme fatale before our very eyes, grinding both husband Arthur Kennedy and mobster Dan Duryea to powder along the way. By the time she heads for the border we know she could gobble up the various men she meets on the trip like road snacks if they gave her half a chance. This rare gem was hard to find in the pre-digital age but is still a must see for any noir fan!
moonspinner55
Lizabeth Scott plays a dissatisfied wife in the Hollywood area, up to her neck in bills and jealous of friends living better than she, who sees a satchel of blackmail loot as an easy way out of her turmoil. Honest husband Arthur Kennedy hopes to turn the money in after it was mistakenly tossed in the couple's car, but Scott has other plans (the most immediate of which is the purchase of a new fur jacket!). Based on a magazine story, this hot-headed melodrama manages some interesting bits and pieces but is nearly done in by its ultra low budget. Scott, her taut little face accentuated by dark brows and heavy lipstick, enunciates in a breathy voice throughout, turning the flirtatious charm on and off like a switch. She's a curious femme fatale, but one who seems easily ruffled or tripped up. Dan Duryea (who amusingly resembles Willam H. Macy) is the slovenly dupe who comes looking for the money, while stodgy Don DeFore says he's an old buddy of Kennedy's but has a different angle (which turns out to be quite a stretch, even for a bottom-drawer thriller!). The Los Angeles milieu is fascinating, as are some of Scott's predicaments--though this may be the only noir in history to use a glass of milk as a red herring for murder! Not a bad B-flick, one that moves at a fast clip and doesn't sentimentalize its characters. **1/2 from ****
DKosty123
While this director is is more known for Arsenic & Old Lace. This film is a very good film noir. It just premiered on TCM in 2015 as a part of their dark summer. Noir series. Not a bad way to start. Don Defore is more known fro being the boss of Hazel on television and some other work on the Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet,This film presents a different side of Don quite well. It a hard serious dramatic role. At one point this was considered a lost film.The sets are drab much like many Republic films. It is low budget and though my favorite odd ball film from the studio is John Wayne' s odd ball western Dark Command, this one is a good drama.
AD
