Dark Streets: Critic Reviews

The flimsy plot -- less a whodunit than an isn't-it-screamingly-obvious-that-that-guy-done-it! -- will have thriller fans singing the blues.

Dark Streets has atmosphere coming out its ears, but not much going on between them.

It's a lovingly souped-up incarnation of the film-noir look, contains well-staged and performed musical numbers, and has a lot of cigarettes, tough tootsies, bad guys and shadows. What it doesn't have is a story that pulls us along.

Dark Streets lost me early, real early, like still-adjusting-my-eyes-in-a-dark-theater early: Welcome to the blues, growls the entertainer with the mohawk and the full-length ringmaster gown.

This charmless fantasy tries to recapture the mix of hot jazz and cold cynicism that lit up Chicago, adding a dash of punk for good measure

Feebly mixing film noir and the old-time nightclub musical, Dark Streets could do with illumination in more ways than one.

I love musicals, but I'd be hard-pressed to recommend this curiosity.

An unwieldy combination of film noir and film musical, Dark Streets doesn't manage to be effective on either level.

A flimsy blues-oriented Moulin Rouge with a touch of Chinatown-style public corruption thrown in.

Looks great and sound great, but it doesn't have enough heart and soul and, ultimately, seems too artsy-fartsy while leaving feeling cold.

There's nothing worse than a soft-boiled noir. Dashiell Hammett this is not.

The cast of lightweights come off as kids playing dress-up in their parents' old clothes.

A poetic, rambunctious film that shows no matter how much we see, we never see, and no matter how much things change, the more they stay the same.

A film noir musical fantasy that falls flat due to a weak screenplay.

The roster of R&B artists heard on the soundtrack is impressive; the movie is not.

Sophisticated elements rise above this murk - Toledo as the MC and music that is a serious contribution to the blues repertory.

It's atmospheric like a steaming pile.

According to its press kit, this is 'an atmospheric film noir musical fantasy,' 'a noir fever dream' and a 'blues-infused noir mystery.' If you suspect those are code words for 'pointless hooey,' you're right.

...an interesting and ambitious movie that succeeds in a small way as spectacle but fails as drama

Time for a moratorium on film noir attempts.

...an inventively made noir with a terrific sound track of 12 original songs. This might not be for everyone, but if you like noir it's one that shouldn't disappoint.

A collection of 1950s B-movie mannerisms that would have made for a great parody if only it were capable of laughing at its own hard-boiled absurdity.

It's like a high school play version of noir with musical numbers written by the drama teacher. In the end, these streets aren't nearly dark enough.

Viewers willing to give themselves to the serious playfulness and visuals will find their share of rewards in 'Dark Streets.'