Product Details

• Actors: Edward G. Robinson, George Raft, Audrey Totter, George Dolenz, Peter van Eyck
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 87 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304559496
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,627 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This 1955 Cold War-era film noir is something of a misfire (great title, though), and you can't go wrong with any movie in which quintessential screen mug George Raft is referred to as "the boss." He's Joe Victor, a deported former crime "big wheel," who's "back in business" after accepting an offer of $100,000 ("that's real velvet") from foreign agents to kidnap a scientist at work on some top secret project. Joe assembles "the boys" as well as Joyce (Audrey Trotter), an increasingly conflicted femme fatale (she's "respectable now"), to seduce the unsuspecting doc. Little Caesar himself, Edward G. Robinson, is intriguingly miscast as the dogged Montreal police inspector on Victor's case. Raft, however, is in fine form as he barks out orders and takes no guff. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Crime Film., August 21, 2007

By 

peterfromkanata (Kanata, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Bullet For Joey (MGM Film Noir) (DVD)

I must admit that I bought this disc because I was intrigued with the idea of casting Edward G. Robinson and George Raft as adversaries in the same film. Of course, these gentlemen are two of the "giants" of the crime/film noir genre. Unfortunately they are let down by a hackneyed script and mediocre production values.

The film takes place in Montreal during the "cold war", and "the other side" wants to kidnap a brilliant scientist and the details of a top-secret project he is working on. Their agent, who poses as a book-seller ( ruthless Peter Van Eyck ), hires an American gangster ( tough, no-nonsense George Raft )--exiled to Portugal--to come to Montreal, reassemble his old gang and grab the scientist. As this plan takes shape, a couple of related murders get the attention of an RCMP inspector ( a cerebral Edward G. Robinson ). Can the inspector foil the plot and save the scientist before he is whisked off somewhere behind the Iron Curtain ?

As I have indicated, this is not a very good film, but Messrs. Raft and Robinson still have a formidable presence. George Raft is perfect as a guy you really don't want to cross ! On the other hand, I agree that the great Edward G. Robinson is wasted here--this role couldn't have been much of a challenge for him, and it could have been played by any competent, journeyman actor. There is another reason to sit through this movie--Audrey Totter. As Mr. Raft's ex-girlfriend who is "recruited" to charm the scientist, Ms. Totter gives us another rivetting performance that has made her one of film noirs' best "femmes fatales".

I have yet to see a truly complete definition of "film noir" and I am certainly no expert. I suspect, however, that "A Bullet For Joey"s status as film noir could be open to debate.

The disc has a decent full-frame, black and white picture, and mono sound.

On the cover of the DVD is a terrific representation of Robinson, Raft and Totter, and all three are very watchable. However, on the back I see words like "pulls out all the stops for excitement and edge-of-your-seat suspense"--"explosive"--"breathtaking"--"pulse-pounding"--"crackling"--"rapid-fire"--"action-packed". If you swallow all this hype, I have some "Ocean-Front Property in Arizona" that you might be interested in !
Apart from the stars, this one is disappointingly routine.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A bullet for me....please !, February 4, 2011

By 

Brad Lloyd "Noir nut" (Tulsa, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Bullet For Joey (MGM Film Noir) (DVD)

"A Bullet For Joey" is really not a bad story, but the dialogue is extremely flat, boring and Edward G. Robinson and George Raft are simply going through the motions with their monotone voices. Neither actor seems like they really want to be in this movie.
Some nice police procedural activity is seen with mid 1950s radar systems in use.
For EGR and Raft fans only !!
I am still debating on whether to purchase it or not !

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Zzzzzzzzzzz, July 30, 2007

By 

Carl Tait (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Bullet For Joey (MGM Film Noir) (DVD)

If there's ever an award for "Most Boring Film Noir Ever Made," this little stinker would be in strong contention. It is a miserable, plodding police procedural with essentially nothing to recommend it. About the best you can say is that the last 15 minutes are marginally less dull than the rest. Edward G. Robinson is squandered. Set in Montreal, the film has all the French-Canadian flavor of Frank Sinatra singing "O Canada."