The 1952 noir thriller The Beast Must Die (titled La Bestia Debe Morir in its native Argentina) captures the atmosphere of what makes noir films so great: creepy atmosphere, murder conspiracies, and shifty characters. The film is based on the 1938 novel of the same name by writer Nicholas Blake, the pseudonym of Cecil Day-Lewis.
Yes. Daniel Day-Lewis’s father wrote. Prolifically.
The film kicks off right away with the death of the lumbering Jorge Rattery (Guillermo Battaglia) who has been poisoned. Jorge’s family seems…nonchalant. You then find out the events leading up to his demise. Writer Frank Carter (despite being made in a South American country, they all have Americanized names, for whatever reason), played by Narciso Ibanez Meta, vows to find and kill the man who struck and killed Carter’s son.
As Carter plots, he meets and falls in love with movie star Linda (Laura Hidalgo). Because in noirs everyone is connected, Laura unknowingly leads Carter to the killer—her (record scratch) brother-in-law Jorge.
The film has a classic noir atmosphere, and Carter as the vengeful writer shines. His desire for justice is palpable throughout. The film is sometimes confusing, as the story doesn’t truly take focus from the get-go. But this is a suitable noir, one fans of the genre can appreciate.