Kansas City Confidential (1952) Film Noir
“Kansas City Confidential” is a 1952 film noir crime film directed by Phil Karlson and starring John Payne. The film was marketed with the tagline “Exploding like a gun in your face!” and released in the United Kingdom as “The Secret Four”.
Four robbers hold up an armored truck, getting away with over a million dollars in cash. Joe Rolfe (John Payne), a down-on-his-luck flower delivery truck driver is accused of being involved and is roughly interrogated by local police. Released due to lack of evidence, Joe, following the clues to a Mexican resort, decides to look for the men who set him up both to clear his name and to exact revenge. What he doesn’t know is that the heist involves a retired policeman who is also intent on revenge. The plot was inspiration for Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.
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Directed by Phil Karlson, produced by Edward Small, screenplay by George Bruce, and Harry Essex, story by Rowland Brown and Harold Greene, starring John Payne
Coleen Gray, Preston Foster, Neville Brand and Lee Van Cleef.