Movie Review: City of Missing Girls (1941)
Synopsis: When several young women go missing before being found dead, the police and assistant district attorney are baffled. Reporter Nora Page, however, conducts her own investigation and finds a link between the women and a school of fine arts owned by a local gangster. There is just one problem, Nora's father, a talent agent, may be connected.
Who's in it? The movie stars Astrid Allwyn, John Archer, H. B. Warner, Philip Van Zandt and Boyd Irwin.
Review: I came across City of Missing Girls last night and, since I'm always game for a classic mystery/film noir, decided to add it to my list for this morning. Overall, I would describe it as an OK film but also in need of something a little bit more.
I thought Nora Page (Allwyn) was an interesting character, a strong woman who wasn't afraid to stick her nose into situations, even if it put her in danger while, at the same time, clearly keeping her heart open for the assistant district attorney, James Horton (Archer). I liked how her methods were fairly straightforward rather than something that required her to use a lot of deception.
The film also has some nice twists. This included both Nora's father (Irwin) having a connection to the main villain, King Peterson (Van Zandt) that could potentially result in her evidence leading to his arrest too. It also included the frame up job done on Archer, which had him looking potentially compromised as well. The latter was done with such perfect timing, it made me wonder if the police captain, McVeigh (Warner) was somehow involved since he happened to be there to find the body.
I also found Nora's attempt to pose as a showgirl intriguing, primarily because it happened late in the movie and after her chances of succeeding were clearly slim or none since there were plenty in Peterson's gang who could recognize her. I wasn't sure if it was a case of her being careless or if she wanted to be recognized and, if it was the latter, why.
My biggest complaint about the film is I did feel it could have used a bit more of a mystery. It was clear from the beginning who was behind the murders. This both meant Nora didn't have to work too hard to find the connection and the police clearly weren't doing their jobs correctly. Heck, I'm still confused about why Archer couldn't have Peterson arrested for his not-so-subtle attempt at bribery.
I also thought the ending of the movie was a bit rushed, which was disappointing because there was a final unexpected twist I felt didn't get enough time as a result, making the movie skip from an ending that could have been emotional to a semi-happy one without anything in between. Adding a few extra minutes to the runtime wouldn't have hurt. Either that or cut the scene involving Horton trying to wake McVeigh up, which was drawn out a bit too long.
Final Opinion: I don't know if there's anything that really sets this movie apart from quite a few similar films from this era and, as I said, it could have used a bit more mystery. However, it was still an entertaining movie to watch so I didn't regret my choice.
My Grade: B
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Here are some reviews of other classic movies with strong female leads:
Movie Review: I Married a Witch (1942)
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