ThiefHott Too much of everything

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

vincentlynch-moonoi WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A SPOILER. WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A SPOILER. WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A SPOILER.It's not often that a film pops up on TCM that I haven't seen before, and it's a special treat when it's a "lost" gem, and this one is that in that for years it could not be shown on television. And, this is a gem for several reasons. First because here Thomas Mitchell -- though getting third billing -- is the real star of film as a politician. He has the most screen time by far, and the story really revolves around him. And it's a fine performance.Ray Milland is, essentially, the Devil here, although it takes quite a while early in the pic to fully realize that. It begins to dawn on the viewer fairly early that there's something supernatural here, but at first you wonder if Milland is sort of a fallen angel with good intentions. One murder later and you know that's not true. Milland is good in the part, and his career is full of interesting parts where he clearly refused to be typecast. Good for him!Audrey Totter -- not exactly leading lady material -- is here (sort of). But rather than say leading lady, I'd say "key player". She does well.George Macready is good as a political minister of sorts. Fred Clark has an important, though minor role as a crooked political hack. Geraldine Wall, with whom I was not familiar, was very good as Mitchell's wife. Veteran character actor Henry O'Neill is here in a minor role as a judge. And young Darryl Hickman has a small role.So the story is good (in fact, I was tempted to give it an "8"). A politician gets involved with Old Scratch, though gradually without really realizing what is happening to him. The question is: will he sell his soul to the devil and, if so, will he be able to break that contract?Highly recommended.I should also mention that about 7 years later an episode of "Father Knows Best" called "Mister Beal Meets His Match" supposedly had an appearance by Ray Milland. I just watched that episode. No sign of Ray Milland from beginning to end.

Spikeopath Alias Nick Beal (AKA: A few other titles...) is directed by John Farrow and adapted to screenplay by Jonathan Latimer from the Mindret Lord story. It stars Ray Milland, Audrey Totter, Thomas Mitchell and George Macready. Music is by Franz Waxman and cinematography by Lionel Lindon.It's the Faustian legend filmed through film noir filters as Thomas Mitchell's politician unwittingly makes a deal with Ray Milland's suspicious Nick Beal.Nicholas Beal - Agent.It's all fogs, smogs and smoky pubs here, it's 1949 and John Farrow and his team are having a great time of things blending Faust with politico machinations. Narrative thrust comes by way of corruption and character disintegration, sprinkled naturally with your good old cinematic staple of good versus evil in bold type. Don't touch him! He doesn't like it! Milland is superb here, his Nick Beal is the ultimate Machiavellian Mannipulator, and the chief film makers really bring these traits to the fore. Beal is a bundle of smug grins and glinting eyes, he just appears in scenes, Farrow cunningly using various props and persons to suddenly unleash his little old devil when he is least expected. Around Nicky there are subtle changes of clothes and snatches of dialogue that hit the requisite devilish notes, Totter is our darling who is caught in Old Nick's trap, Mitchell (great) even more so.The last time I was here was quite exciting. City was on fire. Picked up quite a lot of recruits that night. Made quite a transportation problem.Lionel Lindon and Franz Waxman are also key components to what makes the pic work. Waxman (Sunset Blvd.) deftly shifts between big bass drums for thunder clap effects, to delicate swirls that give off other worldly - eerie - effects. Lindon (I Want to Live!) does great work isolating the eyes in light, while his fog and shadows work wouldn't be amiss in a Val Lewton picture. This is a criminally under seen movie, it's far from perfect because the collage of genre influences give it a very unbalanced feel, but there's so much fun, spookiness and technical craft on show to make it a must see movie for fans of the stars, noir and supernatural tinged pictures. 8/10

Aaron Igay This is yet another take on the Faust tale. Other then perhaps the addition of a femme fatale the film really offers nothing new to the mix. Ray Milland as the devil is the only reason to sit through this, he really plays it cool and he is certainly a demon I'd want to make deals with. When a reporter asked the Welsh Milland at age 80 if he had any big plans he replied, ''Just to go home now and sit in my black leather chair and read. I've read everything, I think. I've got 3,000 books at home, and, believe it or not, I've read every one of them, including the Bible. It turned out to be a pretty dirty book.''With the great acting and script Alias Nick Beal is actually pretty enjoyable up until the conclusion. I don't know if the Hays Code demanded that they wrap it up in such an antiseptic fashion, but the ending was such puke it made me forget about anything good that may have come before.

Lou Rugani Nick Beal (not his real name) has a haunting way of whistling in the fog, in which he seems at home. It's a symbol of the mystery of the man, which softly, like the fog itself, reveals itself to us. There are absorbing scenes involving Ray Milland's interplays with George Macready, Thomas Mitchell and Audrey Totter, and there is Franz Waxman's soundtrack score, all contributing to the mood of apprehension which prevails throughout in this quiet study of power. Anything said further here would reveal what we soon learn of .... well, of the man who whistles. Highly recommended.