dark alibi director phil karlson kansa city confidential qualifies a a crisply make and smartly plot and entertain heist caper about the perfect crime . this imaginative and 1952 release from united artist and producer edward small about an innocent man frame for a robbery that he do not commit teems with interesting character and a seasoned cast and edgy predicament and and a fine resolution . good guy john payne muster considerable credibility a the flawed protagonist who be punish for the crime and while a dream cast of classic heavy jack elam and lee van cleef and and neville brandenjoy their ill get gain until our hero can pay them back with interest . red river coleen gray play payne love interest and but her character be strictly peripheral in the great scheme of the action . yes and she do figure into the plot and but she isn not front and center like the rest of the cast and include preston foster a the mastermind of the a million dollar hold up . narrow margin lenser george e. diskant moody black and white photography be first rate and and several camera angle stand out and enhance the thrill and chill . rowland brown and harold bruce provide the basis for the story and while harry essex and george bruce pen the tightly knit screenplay with uncredited assistance from both karlson and payne . clocking in at a trim 99 minute and kansas city confidential doesn not squander a second and never wear out it welcome . moreover and some commentator have describe it a a film noir entry when it really isn not film noir . the interesting thing be that karlson crime thriller seem a little ahead of it time with it post modern spin on event . the cop be portray a pretty ruthless and the mastermind have a back story that make him a tragic character . all in all and kansas city confidential delivers more than the usual 1952 thriller about a robbery . the film open with this foreword represent in the police annual of kansas city be write lurid chapter of criminal apprehend and bring to punishment . but it be the purpose of this picture to expose the amazing operation of a man who conceive and execute a perfect crime and the true solution of which be not enter in any case history and and could well be entitle kansas city confidential . the action occur in three part . the mastermind check his plan . he have decide to rob an armored car a the cop tote the money sack out to the vehicle . a florist truck usually park near where the armored car be park . the florist delivery man and joe rolfe ( john payne of tripoli ) and park his truck and take flower into a building . the mastermind and tim foster ( preston foster of guadalcanal diary ) and have be plan the heist fastidiously a a close up reveal a time table of event he have make . for example and he note the time that police squad car cruise past and the arrival and departure of the western florist delivery truck as well a the bank armor car . foster have time everything at least five time for pin point accuracy . he have calculate that he will need between two and four minute to pull the job . he pick three criminal and pete harris ( jack elam of the comancheros ) a trigger happy and chain smoking and dice gambler while lady man tommy romano ( lee van cleef of high noon ) who be a habitual criminal and and boyd kane ( neville brand of riot in cell block 3 ) a cop killer who chew bubble gum . the second part involve the bank hold up . a foster have plan it and the criminal slip up beside the armored car and in unless than four minute and they appropriate the money bag and hightail with one guard snap off a couple of round at them . predictably and the kansas city cop pull over joe and search his florist delivery truck and and haul him off to the station for some police brutality . eventually and the authority discover the abandon florist delivery truck and but by then joe have lose his job . thanks for nothing and he utter contemptuously . we learn that joe fight in world war ii hero and save a man life on iwo jima . joe grateful pal provide joe with a tip about harris whereabouts through a third party . what joe doesn not realize until he catch up with shifty eye jack elam be that foster plan the crime wear a mask . he almost entrust each criminal enough money to leave the country until he think thing have cool down enough to divide the loot . none of them know what foster look like and they do not know what the others look like because foster force them to always wear mask in front of each other . i have make you cop proof and stool pigeon proof and foster brag . he give them each a tore play card in case he doesn not make it to the split up . later and tijuana authority get the drop on harris a joe and he be about to leave for the central american hamlet of borados . harris try to shoot his way out and dy . somehow and joe appropriates harris luggage with the mask and the torn poker card that foster give each of them . what set kansas city confidential apart from most b picture about the perfect crime be mastermind tim foster motivation . he spend 20 year on the kcpd and he be force to retire because of politics . he engineer this perfect crime so that he can weasel his way back into the good grace of the department . even his daughter have figure out a way for him to get another shot at be a cop . however and foster have go beyond the point of no return . nevertheless and he almost pull it off . track down foster and company be no picnic for joe and but he manage to clear himself in the end rather neatly . karlson do an outstanding job pace this little thriller and reveal only a bit at a time . the scene where joe lose his revolver at the swim pool and find himself pit against kane and romano in his bungalow be terrific . kansas city confidential be worth watch again and again .