Missing Juror, The
Columbia Pictures (1944)
Mystery
In Collection
#8701
0*
Seen ItYes
IMDB   6.1
1 hr 6 mins USA / English
DVD  Region 1   NR
Jim Bannon Joe Keats
Janis Carter Alice Hill
George Macready Harry Wharton / Jerome K. Bentley
Jean Stevens Tex Tuttle
Joseph Crehan Willard Apple aka Falstaff
George Anderson Wharton Attorney
Walter Baldwin Justice of the Peace / Town Sheriff
Trevor Bardette Pierson
Al Bridge Depuity Sheriff Tom Marshall
Nancy Brinckman Nurse
Cliff Clark Inspector Davis
Edmund Cobb Cahan
Danny Desmond Newsboy
Sam Flint Judge
Jack Gardner Reporter
Director
Budd Boetticher
Producer Wallace MacDonald
Writer Charles O'Neal
Leon Abrams
Richard Hill Wilkinson


A detective tries to stop whomever is murdering the jurors on a notorious murder case.

Interesting thriller from Columbia has a jury wrongly convicting a man to death. Soon after wards members of the jury begin dying in weird ways so it's up to a reporter (Jim Bannon) to try and figure out if it's a ghost or someone simply seeking revenge. Even though this film isn't a complete success it still has enough going for it to make it worth viewing and especially if you're a fan of the genre. I think Boetticher does a very good job with the material and he handles everything quite nicely and that includes the, at times, dark subject matter. There's one major flaw in the film and that's an early flashback sequence, which tells us about the trial, the evidence and the man sent to death. This is a nice little sequence but there is one brief segment that pretty much gives away who the killer is. I'm not sure how many will pick up on it but it was rather obvious when this scene in question first came up. It turned out that my guess was correct but this actually didn't kill too much of the fun. I still thought the film moved at a very good pace and that director Boetticher made for some very interesting scenes including some dark death sequences and a very good scene inside a steam room. This scene also features an actor who very much looks like Anthony Quinn but the IMDb doesn't list him nor does any other movie guide but to my eyes and ears it was him. The performances are a mixed bag but Bannon does a pretty good job in the lead even if it isn't the strongest actor in the world. The main role isn't written overly well but he handles everything nicely. Janis Carter plays the juror who the reporter falls for and she too is nice, if nothing too special. George Macready, Jean Stevens and Joseph Crehan all add nice support. While the film isn't any type of masterpiece, I must admit that I'm a little surprised it hasn't gotten more attention over the years. This might be due to it never getting an official release but fans of mysteries should really enjoy this thing. There are also a few early touches of what would become film noir so I think the film offers up enough that most people will find it pleasantly entertaining.
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