By Gary Deane
Sam Wilson (Jeffrey Lynn) assistant bookkeeper and family man, struggles to make it to the end of the month. As it turns out, so does his boss, who tells Sam that the business is failing and on the verge of bankruptcy. He confides also that he’s had enough and is planning to kill himself. He then asks Sam to help in making the suicide look like a robbery-murder, forcing the insurance company to make good on the death claim. In return, he promises Sam a large sum of money up-front. Needing the cash, Sam reluctantly agrees to go along, hoping he'll be able to go through with it. As we know though, in film noir things seldom go as planned.
Strange Bargain, a tense RKO programmer, packs a lot into its one hour and eight minutes, including a nicely imagined storyline, a surprise ending that is actually a surprise, and good performances across the board. Lynn is convincing as a man at a moral crossroads, as he attempts to find a way out of a hopeless situation for which he's partly to blame. Martha Scott, later nominated for an Academy Award, is equally affecting as Sam’s domesticated but take-charge spouse, while Harry Morgan, as an investigating detective, is as sardonic and engaging as ever.
Though a minor title, the
movie is not without ambition. Director Will Price made only three films in his movie career, with Strange Bargain being the first. You'd have to call it a pretty good start.
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