Midnight Mary

Directed by William A. Wellman, Midnight Mary follows Loretta Young’s Mary as she looks back on her life while awaiting a life-changing court verdict. Filmmaker Wellman, armed with Gene Markey and Kathryn Scola’s screenplay, delivers a briskly-paced and consistently watchable endeavor that captures the viewer’s interest and attention right from the get-go, as Midnight Mary, which introduces Young’s compelling figure with a striking, memorable shot wherein we see only her eyes, boasts an engaging opening stretch that effectively (and episodically) catalogues the central character’s myriad of personal burdens and hardships – with this portion of the proceedings heightened by Wellman’s stylish visuals (eg Mary grows more and more hopeless while imagining a series of unemployment signs during a walk) and Young’s commanding, charming performance. From there, Midnight Mary segues into a propulsive second half that benefits from the appealing love triangle between Mary, Franchot Tone’s Tom, and Ricardo Cortez’s Leo and a recurring emphasis on admittedly terrific sequences (eg Tom and Leo’s violent confrontation) – which, when coupled with a satisfying conclusion, ultimately confirms the picture’s place as a mostly entertaining piece of work that runs a perfect 74 minutes.

*** out of ****