In Pushover Fred MacMurray dusts off his acclaimed portrayal of Walter Neff the luckless insurance agent from Double Indemnity and gives him a badge as an easily corruptible cop. The temptation in his path is another dame, in this case Kim Novak being 'introduced' in this film as Columbia's answer to Marilyn Monroe.

MacMurray's a cop who is assigned to get close to gangster Paul Richards's moll Novak. Richards and his mob have pulled off a bank heist and if they had any sense, they'd be out of the country and fleeing. But police captain E.G. Marshall reasons that Richards ain't going nowhere without Novak.

Of course what he doesn't figure on MacMurray's libido as well as Richards. Novak's one cool ice princess in this one, she's willing to spend the loot with one crook as another and one with a badge sounds pretty good to her.

There's a side romance going as well with Novak's neighbor, nurse Dorothy Malone and fellow officer Philip Carey. Malone gets innocently caught up in the intrigue. Carey while doing surveillance on Novak's apartment gets to peeping in on Malone next door. His little Rear Window act pays off in the end.

Pushover is a fine noir drama and highly recommended for those who like myself know full well that Fred MacMurray is capable of a lot more than Disney films and My Three Sons which I think most know him for today. Novak makes a stunning debut as the ultimately luckless moll and the rest of the cast backs them up with a splendid ensemble effort.

I couldn't help but think that this movie was an attempt to cash in on Fred MacMurray's earlier success in DOUBLE INDEMNITY, as PUSHOVER is in so many ways a reworking of this story. Instead of Fred being an insurance investigator who falls for a hot dame and agrees to turn his back on the law, this time he's an FBI agent--but once again there's a hot dame (Kim Novak) and she wants him to kill her boyfriend who has a fortune in stolen bank money. Hmmm...sure sounds familiar, huh?! Well, despite being a completely unoriginal acting role for Fred, it is still a pretty good film but I can't help thinking that I wouldn't have seen the many, many parallels to the other film had it starred someone else. For decent dialog, excitement and pacing, it should merit at least a 7 but I've got to deduct a point for the lack of originality.

PS--While Ms. Novak was lovely, Fred was a decade older than he was in DOUBLE INDEMNITY, so I felt his "loverboy" role was awfully hard to believe.

Really liked the idea of the story, it is not an original one and one can understand if one calls it derivative (hence the constant comparisons to other films, including inevitably 'Double Indemnity') but it is one that always intrigues. Was also intrigued by seeing Kim Novak in her film debut and Fred MacMurray playing against type. Richard Quine never properly excited me as a director but did make watchable and more films. Am a fan of the genre so expectations were high.

'Pushover' is not by all means one of the best films of the genre and the story execution is not always perfect, but the things that the film was seen for in the first place don't disappoint. It for me was a very good film and nearly great, as the numerous good things are more than good. Novak and MacMurray both impress, it is very successful in its atmosphere and it is one of Quine's better films. If asked whether 'Pushover' is recomended by me, my answer would be yes.

The good things far outweigh the not so good, am saying not so good as there is nothing that is done disastrously. 'Pushover' looks great, loved its atmospheric style, its audacious stylishness and the sense of noir-ish claustrophobia that the clever filming and the suitably creepy and beautifully designed setting. Quine provides some taut direction, it may not be distinctive direction (not that that is a bad thing) he clearly knew what he was doing and he was hardly disinterested. This is one of his darker and more mature films seeing as he was better known in lightweight comedy. The music is not over-bearing or melodramatic and has a broodiness that fits the atmosphere well.

It's a smartly and thoughtfully scripted film, never coming over as awkward and it's easy to take seriously without being overly so. The story may not be original in basic concept, but is advantaged by its uncompromising atmosphere, some genuine suspense, its tight yet also controlled pacing and some not too obvious turns. Novak epitomises glamour and makes a most credible debut that is suitably mysterious. MacMurray has an easy going charm yet doesn't miss the required intensity at the same time. All the supporting cast do well, with the standouts being Phillip Carey and especially Dorothy Malone.

Not quite flawless by all means. The central relationship could have done with more development, there is chemistry between Novak and MacMurray but everything else in the story is more memorable and is not as sketchy.

Did feel too that there was a character change towards the end, which they become more sympathetic, that comes out of nowhere and didn't gel with what they were like in the rest of the film.

All in all, very good. 8/10