The Blue Dahlia

An above average film noir that casts an unlikely lead in the diminutive Alan Ladd (everyone else seems a giant in his presence). Back home as a celebrated war hero, Ladd finds his wife has turned bad, booze and messing with gangsters for starters. Things go from bad to worse and our hero finds himself on the run and then strangely befriended by the gorgeous but tainted Veronica Lake. Some of the plotting is a bit tenuous but anyone who has spent hours unravelling "The Big Sleep" will recognise Chandler's style. Great performances all round particularly from William Bendix as the shell-shocked Buzz, watch out for the monkey music. At the climax you will be wondering right to the end who did it. A great and underrated thriller.