I have never really been a huge fan of the film noir, they all tend to play out basically the same, and are fairly predictable. That was the case here, but surprisingly I liked it.
Chaz is a night club owner who isn't doing so hot at the moment, he took out a loan with some sharks and now they want to be paid back, but he doesn't have the money yet. When a police lieutenant helps him out by shooting one of the goons sent to collect the loan, he allows for a friend of the cop's to audition to be in the nightclub as a singer (Madeline). She is of course amazing, and he falls in love with her quickly, leaving behind Crystal the other singer of the club who is in love with Chaz. Chaz's family is fairly well off, in fact they own and operate the power company that powers the unnamed city they live in. As rolling blackouts occur tensions rise, why are they happening? Chaz starts to stumble over clues that his late father was murdered and didn't commit suicide, and someone near him is responsible. As he delves deeper he finds out things he'd prefer not to know.
The script is not very good, there are a lot of loose ends and things that just don't make sense.
-Why does he need to take money from loan sharks if his family is so rich?
-At one point he finds some money that his father had hidden, but we never see it or refer to it again.
-The police never get involved other than the one lieutenant who doesn't actually seem to do any police work anyway.
I am willing to overlook this for the most part, because like I said before, all these noirs tend to play out the same anyway, you'd be hard pressed to find one that doesn't fit into most of the earmarks of what makes a noir a noir. If anything this is a love letter to the film noir and not so much a noir itself.
Chaz is only just barely likable and it's because he seems to be just stumbling through the story with the plot moving around him, even when he does find out some rather upsetting news, he doesn't really seem to care, he's to in love to see the actions around him.
The saving grace was the way it was shot, and the music and dance numbers, in fact they could probably have done a whole movie of just that and left the plot out and been okay. This film is a great example of being atmospheric. The club is an animal of its own, its lighting, the smoke in the air, the vibrant colors all focusing on the difference between the hard stage and the soft flesh that is on it. The dancers are gorgeous, and the camera really plays to them and to that.
They did some interesting things with focus, coming in and out at times, or purposely making parts of the frame out of focus so only maybe a quarter of the actual frame is in proper focus. The lighting as well was very purposely conceived and handled. The light was directional, that's the simplest way to put in, they wanted only certain things lit up, so that's the way they did it. Whether it was a candle on a table, or sunlight spilling through a window and onto a chase lounge they kept it contained. Many parts of the image were just ignored because it just wasn't all that important to what they were trying to do.
The dance numbers are...fun to say the least, as well as the music which is Blues. The dancers and singers (both Crystal and Madeline) are a treat to look at, the way they move, and like I said before, the camera knows right where to go, the right speed to really make the shots work. Also I liked the casting of those two girls, Crystal is olive skinned with nearly black hair, she is sweet and yet a little threatening, she is independent, but so into Chaz she allows herself to get screwed around some. Madeline on the other hand is blond with pale milk skin, she is more angelic, but of course appearances are deceiving, and always are in film noirs.
I want this type of night club to come back, it is truly cool. Unlike the clubs of today this one was filled with adults, coming to drink and have a good time, the sex was only just under the surface, there was a coyness to it that you don't find today. The clubs now are techno hormone filled dance parties where the young and stupid gather to rub on one another. The clubs of old were dark and warm, there was a theatre quality about it, the show and the girls, and the live music, Maybe one day all that will come back.
Overall the film had problems, mostly writing wise, image wise I loved it. You could tell they were fans of "Chicago" and "Moulin Rouge" and it comes through. If you like Blues music, and like this time period then it's something you might enjoy, but isn't a must see. I only wish to see the kind of atmosphere and girls from this in a better written movie, then they would really have something. The film gets a low 7/10 stars.
Director: Rachel Samuels
Starring: Gabriel Mann, Bijou Phillips, Izabella Miko, Elias Koteas, Michael Fairman
Sidenote: It's good to see more female directors making movies.
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