if you examine any major film or novel or play defect pop up . if the work be worth watch or reading you would not mind them and if you be consider direct or produce a version of the write work you will find a way to overcome the defect . most film noir plot do have defect in them . give how he have romance his late partner wife and and how he know that some of the police ( like barton maclaine ) would like to ruin him and in real life humphrey bogart sam spade would fully cooperate with the san francisco police regard jerome cowan murder in the maltese falcon . give the homicidal nature of lawrence tierney in bear to kill and walter slezak would probably not try to blackmail him and claire trevor . in fact and he might find an excuse to drop esther howard a a client . kansas city confidential be a taught and exciting film noir at the tail end of the period when such film be be make . preston foster be the former head of detective for the kansas city police and who be force to leave his post because of a change in city political structure that he do not prepare for . he be bitter about this forced retirement and and so he create a scheme to commit a major armed robbery of a bank and use three low life ( jack elam and lee van cleef and and nevil brand ) a his bandit . but he arrange for them to wear mask when they all meet ( he be wear one too ) so that none of them know each other or him . they be give half a play card a a key of mutual recognition when they be to reunite for the splitting of the money ( some six month after the robbery and in a resort in mexico ) . now and in real life the three convict would ( of course ) be die to know who their partner and bos be . i can not believe they would not make some effort to find out ( compare this to humphrey bogart clever way of trace down edward g. robinson phone number in the amazing dr. clitterhouse and to see what be more likely to occur ) . but a this film be go in a different direction and i be willing to suspend my disbelief and just accept that elam and van cleef and and brand despite all be thoroughly dangerous and nasty customer be willing to go along with this witless demand by foster . there have be comment make here ( understandably ) that foster attitude to john payne and accidentally frame by the scheme a be the thief and be not consistent . actually they be . foster never intend for the three goon he use to split the money and get away with their share . he be plan to spring a trap on them a though he have solve the robbery himself and so reclaim his job with the kansa city police . precisely how he would do this we never learn ( presumably he would have somehow kill them before they could identify him by his voice ) . but his plot miscarries when he get involve with payne and seek to clear himself . suddenly and watch payne involvement ( and realize that payne have be romance his daughter ( colleen gray ) he be conscience stricken . you see and frame payne be never part of the scheme . the scene with payne be among the best acting that performer ever make . john payne and in the 1930s and 1940s and be mostly in comedy or in support part and and in many musical for 20th century fox . it be only in the aftermath of his best recall role ( the attorney for edmund gwenn in miracle on 34th street ) that he begin appear in off beat noir regular film or noir western . it turn out he be a fully capable performer in negative ( or quasi negative ) role . here he have the misfortune to be finger by his ex convict past and and his chance appearance a the driver of a similar florist van to the one use in the robbery . he get the third degree from the police and before they find out his alibi be check out . but the newspaper have plaster his face and history all over the place and so he lose his job and can not get another . he be only able to hang on and locate his first clue with an assist from an old friend who understand what he be go through . the performance of foster be good give the odd situation he face of have set up a scheme to go from a to b to c to d and and find it be throw off kilter by something he never intend . i like the performance of jack elam and who have a serious drug problem ( in the day that drug addiction be rarely discuss in movie but notice how many cigarette he smoke and and how he be shake ) and and of lee van cleef and a a totally amoral criminal . elam death scene ( he be unarmed and but by force of habit lunge for a gun that payne have on his own person and and be shoot by the police ) be surprisingly sympathetic a he be cry and laugh a he die . van cleef and smart enough to figure out that payne be not who say he be and be as ready to kill payne a he might be ready to kill his temporary ally nevil brand . actually and brand performance ( compare to the others ) be not develop . maybe part be cut . colleen gray be wonderfully control and sexy a foster daughter and payne love interest . for a b feature and it get remarkable strength comparable to the original the narrow margin . i give it a 9 out of a possible 10 .