The Reckless Moment1949
The Reckless Moment (1949)
The Reckless Moment Photos
Movie Info
Cast
as Martin Donnelly
as Lucia Harper
as Bea Harper
as David Harper
as Mr. Harper
as Ted Darby
as David Harper
as Nagle
as Sybil
as Desk Clerk
as Drummer
as Drummer
as Blonde
as Gambler
as Policeman
as Bartender
as Wrestler
as Girl
as Card Player
as Liza
as Dennis
as Bridget
as Mud
as Mrs. Feller
as Drug Clerk
as Magazine Clerk
as Mike
as Newsman
as Tall Man
as Woman
as Woman
as Receptionist
as Pawnbroker
as Mrs. Loring
as Card Player
as Bank Guard
as Bank Official
as Old Lady
as Tall Man
as Man
as Waitress
as Second Postal Clerk
as Newsboy
as Lieutenant
as Man
as Man
as Woman
as Man
as Man
as Man
as Man
as Man
as Woman
as Man
as Newsboy
as Man
as Man
as Policeman
as Policeman
as Woman
as Man
as Post Office Clerk
as Man
as Man
Critic Reviews for The Reckless Moment
All Critics (4) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (0)
It certainly makes for the purest and most impossible love of [Max] Ophuls' films, and for me, the most emotionally compelling.
a rather original take on what is usually a very pedestrian setup
A very engaging thriller...
Audience Reviews for The Reckless Moment
The last of director Max Ophüls' Hollywood films, The Reckless Moment doesn't necessarily distinguish itself other than Joan Bennett's intense performance. It's actually a rather unconventional film noir starring Bennett as the well-to-do mother of a teenage daughter who's gotten herself mixed up with the wrong sort of man. The mother goes to confront this man and he offers to stop seeing the girl in exchange for a payoff. When he comes snooping around late one night, the daughter rejects him physically, and the man winds up dead. Desperate to keep her daughter out of trouble, the mother covers up the any evidence the dead man was ever there and and dumps his body off somewhere else. Soon afterward, a blackmailer (James Mason) enters the picture, threatening to expose the girl's love letters to the deceased man if he's not given $5000. In spite of a somewhat ridiculous storyline, Bennett shines as the no-nonsense, unbending woman who fights to protect the cozy home she's created. The father is completely out of the picture, of course, and it's up to the strong mother figure to keep this structure of civility from crashing down around their ears. James Mason as the charming villain meets the only end he can possibly meet within the film's circumstances. It's a shame for such a strong woman to have to go without the love of a man. Duty tells her to remain faithful to the disembodied voice over the telephone, rather than run off with the charming and dangerously foreign blackmailer, but standards and morals of the 1940s dictates this more forcibly than the heart does.
Super Reviewer
Taut drama with the always underrated Joan Bennett great as the panicked mother and James Mason just right as the conflicted anti-hero. Wonderfully directed by Ophuls and atmospherically shot this was updated as The Deep End with Tilda Swinton also a fine film but this has a distinct allure of its own.
Super Reviewer
Affecting but slightly unsatisfying real-world noir. Wonderful in parts but rushed in others. I'm thinking perhaps the demands of Hollywood and a modest budget took a couple courses out of this film.
Super Reviewer
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