Red Light, from 1949, is a mildly suspenseful crime-drama/film noir starring George Raft, Virginia Mayo, and Raymond Burr. The film begins inside a prison, where inmate Nick (Raymond Burr) vows vengeance on the man who put him behind bars---Johnny Torno (George Raft), the employer from whom he had been embezzling. When Nick learns that Johnny's younger brother, Jess, a priest just returned from chaplain duty in the army, is back in town, he realizes that the best way to exact revenge on Johnny is to have Jess killed. Since Jess is the person Johnny is closest to, his death will devastate him, which is exactly what Nick wants.
Nick's plan takes shape, and as Jess is alone in a hotel room one day, he is shot several times. When Johnny arrives at the hotel, he discovers a dying Jess lying on the floor and, vowing revenge, asks Jess who did it. With his final breath, Jess responds that it is "written in the Bible." After searching Jess's own Bible for several days and not finding any information, Johnny is sure that Jess must have meant the Gideon's Bible from the hotel room. That Bible, however, is missing, so Johnny tracks down every person who has occupied that particular room since the night of the murder.
One of the room's occupants was Carla North (Virginia Mayo), who, also, knows the pain of losing a brother she loved dearly. Carla is willing to help Johnny track down the Bible, but when it appears that Johnny's desire for vengeance has taken over his entire being, she tries to get him to see that vigilante justice is unacceptable. Johnny, however, can't let it go...no matter what he has to do, he is determined to find the Bible, discover the name Jess wrote down, and then make that man pay.
Is Johnny ever able to track down the Bible he is seeking? Does it provide the information he is looking for? Can Johnny let go of his hatred and desire for vengeance? These are the questions that will play out in this interesting and enjoyable film.
As a Perry Mason fan, it is always a bit strange for me to see Raymond Burr in these kinds of roles. In that beloved TV show, he's always on the right side of the law; however, what I'm discovering, is that his movie roles often have him portraying the lawbreakers. Virginia Mayo is lovely, as always, but she really doesn't have much to do in this film. And George Raft, the man whose career might have been huge had he not passed on certain roles that ended up going to Humphrey Bogart, is quite good in this strong, "I'll do it my way" role. I do hope you get a chance to see this film.
Happy viewing!!
