Roadblock (1951)

Straight-laced insurance investigator Joe (Charles McGraw) crosses paths with pretty part time grifter Diane (Joan Dixon). She wants the best things in life and always gets what she wants. Unfortunately Joe can’t afford much on his detective salary, so he reconsiders that whole “ethics” thing.

If there is anything interesting here, it's because it’s perhaps the first film to shoot in the Los Angeles river. Them! (1954), Chinatown (1974), and Grease (1978) and many others would follow suit.

Roadblock is a pretty lackluster Noir. The story is simple and the characters are rather dull. But the biggest issue is that the leads have little chemistry. I just don’t buy their attraction, and thus Joe’s motivation. Short and sweet, but otherwise uninteresting. AMRU 2.5.