LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Leofwine_draca TOO LATE FOR TEARS is a sufficiently gripping film noir starring Lizabeth Scott as perhaps the ultimate femme fatale, a woman who comes into possession of a suitcase containing no less than $60,000 worth of dollars and decides to hold on to it by whatever means necessary. Most of the plot consists of Scott's character running rings around the dangerous men in her life; the cast includes a youthful Arthur Kennedy acting alongside Dan Duryea and Don DeFore. Eventually things take a murderous twist, and there's the kind of downbeat ending that the censors demanded. This is a film that favours depth of characterisation over plot, and it's icy and mean-spirited enough to make its own mark.

sambatex I agree w/many people here... "Too Late for Tears" (aka: Killer Bait) is one of my fave noir flicks. Though beautiful, Liz Scott's slightly off kilter features often gave her a slightly venal look which hurt her in the Hollywood starlet sweepstakes but match up perfectly with the role of Jane Palmer, without question her best ever. We watch with fascination and a growing tingle of terror as she transforms from a mousy, dissatisfied housewife into an overpowering, absolutely lethal femme fatale before our very eyes, grinding both husband Arthur Kennedy and mobster Dan Duryea to powder along the way. By the time she heads for the border we know she could gobble up the various men she meets on the trip like road snacks if they gave her half a chance. This rare gem was hard to find in the pre-digital age but is still a must see for any noir fan!

Rainey Dawn A true film noir and a very exciting watch. Super casting, thrilling story. Lizabeth Scott in one of her best performances. Well worth watching if you love a good crime drama.Jane Palmer (Lizabeth Scott) and her husband Danny Fuller (Dan Duryea) are an average couple that has gone out one evening. While driving along in their convertible, a suitcase is hurled into their backseat and next they find themselves being chased. Once the car chase is over and they are safe they realize they have $60,000 in their possession and must figure out what to do with it. Jane's true colors starts shining as she refuses to give the money to the police and tell them what happened - Jane is willing to murder if it means she can keep the money.8.5/10

seymourblack-1 It's not unusual for a story to begin with a situation in which a character suddenly finds themselves in possession of a sum of money that isn't theirs but what makes this movie so enthralling is the nature of the character in question. As a child, this woman's experience of being brought up in a middle class family that couldn't "keep up with the Joneses" scarred her mentally and emotionally with the result that when her opportunity to become wealthy came along, she wasn't going to stop at anything to achieve her most cherished ambition. Murder, manipulation and deception are just part of her stock-in-trade as she wilfully damages and destroys the lives of the people around her in a way that's incredibly ruthless, cold-hearted and self-serving.One dark evening, Alan Palmer (Arthur Kennedy) and his wife Jane (Lizabeth Scott) are driving along a quiet mountain road outside Los Angeles when a bag full of cash is suddenly thrown into the back seat of their car from a vehicle that's travelling in the opposite direction. After being chased by another car for a little while, they successfully escape and head home where they discover that the bag contains $60,000. Alan is nervous about having the cash in his possession and wants to hand it in to the police as soon as possible but Jane is determined to keep the money and so persuades her husband to take a little time before making a final decision on what to do with their windfall. A little later, Alan leaves the bag in a locker at Union Station and puts the ticket in his jacket pocket.Next morning, Danny Fuller (Dan Duryea) who says he's a private detective, calls at the Palmers' apartment and tells Jane that he's come to collect the cash. She tells him that the money's already been handed in to the police and so he leaves but promises to return if her story doesn't check out. When he inevitably returns, they initially argue but then come to an agreement to share the cash. As Jane knows that Alan would never go along with this arrangement, she kills her husband at a nearby boating lake and persuades Danny to help her dispose of the body. Jane reports Alan's disappearance to the police and tells her sister-in-law Kathy (Kristine Miller) that she thinks he's taken off to Mexico with a girlfriend. Kathy, who lives in the same apartment building, doesn't believe this story and becomes very suspicious of Jane.A man called Don Blake (Don DeFore) who introduces himself as an old wartime buddy of Alan's, soon becomes friendly with Kathy who now has Alan's locker ticket in her possession and together they attempt to find out what's really happened to her brother.The plot of "Too Late For Tears" (aka "Killer Bait") is complicated by a succession of identity issues which begin with the way in which the money comes into the possession of the Palmers and then becomes even more involved as neither Danny Fuller nor Don Blake are who they originally claim to be (with Danny also posing as Alan at one stage). The main focus of the movie, however, is on its extraordinary femme fatale whose greed for wealth knows no limits. Her ability to manipulate men by either acting seductively or threatening them in some way is remarkably successful with one notable exception and the way in which she overwhelms Danny, sees him transform from being a menacing character to one who becomes fearful and very malleable.Lizabeth Scott takes full advantage of the opportunities that her role offers as she skilfully switches her behaviours and expressions whenever the need arises and in the process, makes Jane's wickedness and motivations absolutely clear. Good performances from the rest of the cast (especially Dan Duryea) add greatly to the enjoyment but ultimately, this is Lizabeth Scott's movie all the way.