Backfire (1950)
![Image](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsEZu-YZi1bIBiwOYI6bSw-W3FLUWgP4cQPFCxO6kozi8T6szF1XCxsOXg17mBCZPXKK7euq5qV9iATT1h2fimrmOdLKDv8kcKlGYjXdx_fmS291s24jgcjTeo66lv44VrfDuqtTl_x3_6JRmOmKnAYyZAJkvbGwQORvryY4u2tyW93STEljK0dGJonpz/s320/Backfire%20(1950).jpg)
I'm working my way through the collection of "Holiday Noir" Criterion is streaming this year (God, I love that service). Like some of the other movies in this collection, the "noir" label should be taken with a grain of salt. It certainly has elements in common with noir - particularly towards the end - but the tone here is relatively light throughout, and this isn't as stylized as I generally expect from the genre. Or maybe my definition of that term is simply too restrictive - I'll defer to serious noir aficionados so long as they listen to me when I tell them films like Backfire should be recognized as legitimate Christmas movies. Whatever labels you attach to it, this one's quite a lot of fun. It's not unique or bizarre enough to be a "must watch," but it's a pulpy, energetic mystery that throws a barrage of fun twists at you from start to finish. For a movie with an escalating body count (including at least one character you ac