Movie Review: Two O'Clock Courage (1945)

Synopsis: While driving her taxi cab, Patty Mitchell nearly hits an injured man who claims to have amnesia. She volunteers to help him figure out who he is and what happened to him but, as they investigate, all clues seem to point to him being involved in a murder.

Who's in it? The movie stars Tom Conway, Ann Rutherford, Richard Lane, Jane Greer and Jean Brooks.

Review: I've been working on a handful of things today but found an hour to sit down and watch this mystery. At first, I wasn't really sure what to think about it but, as the movie progressed, I found I liked it.

Overall, I have to say this is an intriguing mystery. The stranger getting into the back of the cab (Conway) has no memory of who he is, where he is or what he was doing a couple hours earlier and, as details about the murder are revealed, even he believes he might be the one who committed it. And, every time it seems like they discover a clue or witness that clears him, there is another development that makes him even more guilty.

I think the part of it I found most interesting was the way Patty (Rutherford) continued to help him, even as all the evidence pointed in his direction. Having never met the man before, she had no way of knowing if she was in any danger, yet insisted on continuing even as he insisted she get as far away from him as possible. Her motivation made me wonder if maybe she was actually mixed up in the murder and was helping him along just long enough to frame him.

Adding to the movie was the way they were dogged by a skeptical and persistent newspaper reporter (Lane) who saw through their attempts at deception and seemed to make it his mission to prove they were involved with the homicide, even as the police were quick to buy their story as a newlywed couple on their honeymoon. Even though the movie tried to twist his character into comic relief, I felt he was a legitimate wild card that could blow things up for them at any second.

The ending also turned out to be better than I was expecting, with a last-second twist involving who the killer was. It was definitely not as easy to solve as it first seemed to be.

Final Opinion: This is a fun-to-watch murder mystery with plenty of twists and great chemistry between the two stars. I'd recommend taking the time to watch it.

My Grade: A