Visited by a wounded former cellmate in the middle of the night, a reformed criminal finds himself pestered by both the police and his other ex-con associates after the wounded man dies in his apartment in this downbeat crime drama. Simple as this set-up might sound, it actually pivots around a rather complex dynamic as the protagonist, played by Gene Nelson, finds in himself truly in a bind as neither the cynical detective investigating him, nor his former cellmates, believe that he has actually reformed, and nothing that he can say or do can convince either side that he has really gone straight. Nelson is not particularly effective in the lead role and Phyllis Kirk is given little to do as his trusting wife, but 'Crime Wave' benefits enormously from a talented supporting cast including a young Charles Bronson as one of the ex-cons and an uncredited Timothy Carey as a slightly unhinged associate. The film's best performance comes from Sterling Hayden though as the misanthropic and condescending fast-talking cop who believes that nobody is capable of change - a mantra that is interesting to consider in light of his attempts to quit smoking by chewing on toothpicks instead. Hayden also gets a very memorable final shot and he is the one key reason to see the movie. As far as film noir entries go, this is hardly the most exciting and well-paced offering out there. The movie has, however, a lot of interest as it tries to question whether or not a person is actually capable of changing when everyone else believes that it is an impossibility. Once a crook, always a crook?
Review of Crime Wave
