Signpost to Murder

Because it has been awhile and I can't think of a better lead for today's review, we're going with the character actor intro. And today's special guest is Stuart Whitman, come on down! An actor with a prolific filmography, Whitman appeared in over 200 television shows and feature films starting in the late 1950s and right on through into 2000. He started off like many other actors from the time in television, including a starring role in Cimarron Strip. Whitman was never a huge star, but he was one of those faces you recognize in a movie and are glad to see him.

He's probably most well known for his part alongside John Wayne in 1961's The Comancheros, more than holding his own against the Duke at the height of Wayne's popularity. Whitman was a good tough guy lead, able to take that lead role but just as easily taking a supporting role. Most fans will recognize him from action and adventure movies, including ones like Rio Conchos where he works well with a strong ensemble cast.  There were the exceptions, the films where he was given a prominent starring role, like 1964's Signpost to Murder, a well-made mystery thriller based off a Monte Doyle play. It's a pretty decent movie, one I enjoyed as I tried to figure out the twist only to see the movie fall apart in the end. They can't all be winners.

Having served a five-year sentence after being found guilty by insanity of murdering his wife, Alex Forrester (Whitman) is denied a parole from the British mental institution he's been living in. His psychiatrist, Dr. Fleming (Edward Mulhare), vouches for Alex, claiming he's turned a new leaf and has come back to some normal sense of sanity. Desperate and frustrated, Alex escapes and plans to hide out for 14 days, citing an archaic Victorian law that allows an escaped prisoner a new trial if he remains free for two weeks. He hides out in a nearby town, basically kidnapping a pretty middle-aged woman, Molly Thomas (Joanne Woodward), and keeping her in her house while the heat dies down. Molly's husband is due home anytime, but Alex has nowhere to go. The search is closing in, giving him few options as to what to do, and where does Molly stand with her knowledge of his escape?

Like so many plays turned into a feature film, it's pretty easy to spot.  Besides an early introduction at the mental institution, the whole story -- the run-time is only 74 minutes -- is set in the Thomas house, a large, expansive country home that ends up being a character right alongside Whitman and Woodward.  Director George Englund takes advantage of this very cool set, filming it in wide angles so you can see the whole house seemingly while still giving it a claustrophobic feel as Whitman's Forrester hides out as best he can. Englund also shoots in black and white, giving even more of a creepy, atmospheric feel to the developing story. Playing over the mystery is a great score from composer Lyn Murray. His score is soft and soothing at times, almost lulling you to sleep and then building slowly to surprises and revelations. As for as plays turned movies go, this is a good example of the transition being a smooth one.

Another positive -- before I proceed to rip the movie apart -- is the casting.  In Whitman, Woodward and Mulhare, 'Signpost' has three really solid actors who were never huge stars but were nonetheless very strong, reliable actors.  Much of the movie takes place in just one night as Alex and Molly go from kidnapper and victim to two struggling souls bonding through their weirdness.  Somehow and some way, that chemistry works.  Whitman pulls off the mystery well because we're left twisting in the wind for much of the movie whether he is actually insane.  Woodward plays well off of him, and for the first time in a movie I've seen her, I thought she was just drop dead sexy. I don't intend that as a weird sexist comment because it's a key part of the character, and she is highly convincing.  Mulhare is equally good as Dr. Fleming, the psychiatrist looking out as best he can for his patient who he genuinely wants to get better and rejoin society as a normal, rational individual.

And then there's the ending. This is the type of movie where you just know there will be a huge, surprising twist.  If you're like me, you end up trying to figure it out yourself before the movie tells you what it is.  My natural assumption was that it would be relevant to Whitman's Alex and his possible sanity or insanity and his guilt in murdering his wife, slitting her throat and letting her bleed out in the bathtub.  The twist is relevant to that, but not in the way you'd think.  I'm all for a good, well thought out twist where everything comes together nicely in a way you did not normally expect. If a movie pulls the wool over my eyes and I'm blindsided, but the twist still works, well, kudos to you for making a hell of a twist. But about halfway through the movie, the twist leans in a different direction, making Woodward's Molly a possibly involved player in all the mystery, murder and mayhem.

Then, Englund's movie pulls the rugs out from under you.  Even at just 74 minutes, the pacing is somewhat leisurely with dialogue dominating the screen-time.  With about five minutes to go, the story throws everything at the fan with twists coming left and right.  If you've spent this much time developing the twist and the story, why not take a little more time and let it breathe, let it figure itself out?  Instead the finale as is ends up being incredibly rushed.  It's so interested in revealing the twist that countless other things don't end up getting explained at all.  Talk about open-ended, we don't even know if Alex is guilty of murdering his wife!  Some explanation -- however weak -- would have been appreciated, but it never comes.  It basically ruins an otherwise solid thriller, leaving quite a bad taste in your mouth. It is probably still worthwhile to watch for the performances from the three leads and a cool setting, but beware of the disappointing ending.

Signpost to Murder <---TCM trailer (1964): **/****