TomJH
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Posts posted by TomJH
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Yes, lavender, I agree. Burr's obsessive character must remind many viewers of someone they may have known or heard about. Very creepy. You can never be sure how far someone like that may go.
And you're right. Burr's manipulative character is the reason one man died and a decent woman is going to prison. How many people would NOT sympathize with Scott when she pulled that trigger?
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Burr was really just a sweet, vulnerable guy badly in need of a girlfriend.
Powell already had it all, the safe job, the wife, the son, the home in the suburbs. Now he was trying to move in on a girl that was just Raymond's type. Who can blame Burr for getting a little cranky?
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My interpretation of Wyatt seemingly not questioning Powell about his late night is because she completely trusted him as a safe, reliable husband.
Lizabeth Scott's character in the film is completely sympathetic and decent. She just has a jinx in her relationships.
I noticed that the scene in which Scott and Powell begin their affair was really played down. Scott, not knowing that Powell is married, makes the first physical move by impulsively kissing him, to which he responds. The scene quickly fades out, with the next scene in the film the one outside Powell's garage, with Burr waiting for him in the bushes.
The emphasis is really upon Burr's psychotic creepiness and sudden burst of violence upon Powell, rather than Powell's infidelity.
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TB, if your idea of a reconnection with Scott is of Powell visiting her in prison, that makes perfect sense to me. He's a decent human being and undoubtedly feels a large degree of guilt, not only over having killed Scott's jealous boyfriend, but over Scott's fate, as well. He may well try to help her out financially in the future, too, if the opportunity arises.
But that is independent of a marriage which, while it will undoubtedly have some rocky times ahead, he will still try to make work.
Don't forget, after Scott found out that Powell was married and wanted to end the affair, he gave her no argument. He could have said, "To heck with that marriage. You are my kindred soul, the one I want" but he didn't. He went back to Wyatt and was soon giving his son a lecture about people not appreciating what they already have in life, of always thinking the other person has it better. The audience knows that Powell was obviously referring to the way he was before, but now he has a renewed appreciation of what a solid family life he has.
I see no indication that after the unexpected events of that final night, tragic as they are, that Powell would have changed his mind about his determination to make the marriage work. Those two shootings, however, and Wyatt's awareness of his infidelity, will make it harder for him, no doubt.
But even Wyatt in that final scene questions how much a man who has been a good husband should suffer for the one time he failed. I see a woman who is understandably angry and hurt but I do not see any sense of vindictiveness in her. I see a woman who still wants to have a marriage work but with a renewed perspective that her very human husband is not quite the all-round great guy that she thought he was before.
As for twinkeee's comment that Powell does not look happy in the final scene and as if he has his mind elsewhere, I guess so! He just shot a man to death hours before and has since found out that Lizabeth Scott is facing the repercussions of the law for a shooting of her own, for which he may well feel partially responsible, as well. Powell has very good reasons to not look happy in that final scene, reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with his marriage to Jane Wyatt.
But at least we all in agreement that Pitfall and the interrelations of its characters all captured our interest enough to make these speculations. It's a good film noir that deserves to be better known.
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If you seriously consider Wyatt to be a villain, I can only say that you picked up on perceived subtleties in her characterization that are far from obvious to me (and many other viewers, too, I very strongly suspect).
As for Powell eventually reuniting with Scott, since Scott may be facing a long strength in the pen or even the death penalty, depending upon what happens to Burr and the state in which the film is set, that's quite a leap in logic.
I do agree, however, that the film's ending is far from happy and an appropriate one, too, I might add.
Pitfall's a good movie, one good enough to prompt some viewers to come up with conjectures about the future of its participants.
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*TB wrote: Powell was going to spend the rest of his life serving a sentence of punishment in the wife's prison. She's the real villain of the piece.*
You have a far harsher intrepretation of Wyatt's character than do I, based on that final scene. She is hardly a villainess, ready to make her wayward husband pay for his indiscretion for all eternity. While it is obvious that the couple is in far some rocky times ahead (clearly his fault), the impression to me is that Wyatt and Powell are going to try to get past all that has just occurred and probably still make the marriage work.
At the end, the audience's sympathy is with Lizabeth Scott, though her exact fate, of course, is uncertain.
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While both Dick Powell and Lizabeth Scott are names associated with film noir, it's interesting that in Pitfall both of them played characters that one might not quite have expected of them.
Scott, rather than playing a repeat of the femme fatale is, instead, surprisingly winning and sympathetic as an essentially decent sort who has had bad luck in her relationships, and here she is again, jinxing herself, by falling in love with a married man.
Powell also stepped away from the cool tough guy persona first established in Murder My Sweet to play an initially conservative type who could even be regarded as a bit of a stuffed shirt. He played the type of flawed character with whom many in the audience could identify.
Like Scott, he is essentially a decent person but he allows himself (from boredom?) to succumb into an affair, even though he has the sort of wife and child at home that many would want to have. It's the normality of Powell's family situation and how events spiral out of control for him, resulting in the possibly of the destruction of that family, that helps to make Pitfall as intriguing as it is.
That, plus, of course, a chilling performance by Raymond Burr.
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Just bumping this thread because TODAY is the broadcast of Pitfall.
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*mrroberts wrote: Eddie had a lot more success then Cagney in trying to vary his roles in the early 30's Warners films.*
Well, Robinson had a couple of early ethnic roles at Warners, playing a Chinese in Hatchet Man and either an Italian or Greek in Tiger Shark. For the most part they are not characterizations that are particularly well remembered today, and it would have been a cruel mistake if Cagney had attempted either one of those roles. (I cringe at the thought of Cagney in Oriental makeup).
Robinson did have more of a "foreign" look than all American Cagney. For that matter, Warners even cast Bogart as a Mexican in Virginia City, with fairly disasterous results. Cagney was spared that indignity, as well.
It wasn't until Robinson was loaned to Columbia in 1935 for The Whole Town's Talking that he had his first impressive opportunity to play "meek" in one of two roles in the film. It wouldn't be until he started to do character work almost a decade later with Fritz Lang that Eddie G. would take on roles of a milquetoast nature again, parts that would have been a mistake for either Bogart or Cagney.
(Cagney, though, during his independent period in the '40s did play a gentle role (for him) in Johnny Come Lately. He's quite charming in the film but memory tells me that his character resorted to fisticuffs towards the film's end again. As pointed out by James, it's not that Cagney couldn't effectively play a milder part so much as he didn't get those roles because the audience wasn't interested in seeing him do it).
Bogart's alcoholism didn't seriously impact his film work. He took great pride in the fact that he could drink all night and be a professional on the sound stage the following morning.
The same, however, was not true of Bogart's stage work before his film career. This was a time in his career when he had yet to have a great success. He'd drink in New York speakeasies till he passed out, then wake up cracking wise which lead to a lot of fights. During this theater period he frequently got fired because he was so hung over. Bogart would shrug it off, confident he'd find more stage work.
Ironically when Bogart showed up hung over in an audition for the role of Duke Mantee in The Petrified Forest, not caring if he got the role or not, he was hired because it was felt that his unshaven, dishevelled appearance was perfect for the gangster part. This, of course, would turn out to be the big break of Bogart's stage career, in turn, leading to a Warner Brothers contract when he was hired for the film version.
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Hatchet Man - Eddie G. as a Chinese hit man
Virginia City - Bogart as a Mexican bandit. Alfonso Bedoya, where are you?
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Swithin, I'm sure there are undoubtedly other illustrations of outstanding African-Americans from the late '60s that could also be cited, apart from the first black U.S. Senator.
That, however, doesn't alter the fact, in my opinion, that the makers of "Guess" stacked the deck in favour of Poitier by making him without character or economic flaws. Spencer Tracy spends most of the film debating about whether to accept a medical doctor into the family who also extends to him the respect of letting him know that he won't marry his daughter unless he has his permission (to undoubtedly keep her living in the lap of luxury, I might add).
I guess a lot of liberal viewers felt all warm and fuzzy inside when they saw the film and agreed with Tracy's final decision to accept such a paragon of virtue as a son-in-law. It would have been a bit more of a challenge to their oh-so-liberals hearts, however, if Poitier had been a cab driver or a drinker or a moody quirky individual who also happened to be black.
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That's right, James. Poitier was a "safe" black man for white audiences but it has nothing, as I said, to do with reality. The film's liberal message was just stacking the deck in favour of Poitier's character.
A more honest film would have given him a few flaws and make it more of a challenge for audience acceptance. Then again, if that had been the case, the film's success at the box office would probably have been more of a doubtful thing.
Better to make him Saint Sidney and, therefore, white audiences would feel more comfortable having him in an inter-racial marriage.
I have to seriously wonder, however, how black audiences responded to this film. And how many of their viewpoints would not be represented by the reactionary response of Poitier's father in the picture.
Somehow, however, I think that Stanley Kramer was just concentrating on a lot of white liberals paying to see this one. But, again, my point, just how liberal are you, anyway, when it's perfect Dr. Poitier that wants to keep your daughter in a life of affluence?
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That's one of the problems with Guess Who's Coming to Dinner for me. Sidney Poitier's character is so perfect that to reject him has to be an act of racism.
He's not a human being with flaws like other people in inter-racial relationships would be. He's a black demi God with a medical degree.
Heck, this guy's so understanding that he even refuses to marry the girl unless he has her parents' permission, something even she won't do.
Poitier, as always, brings great dignity to the role. But his part sure doesn't have much to do with reality.
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Yes, twinkeee, I'm aware of the Canadian connection to a fun Cagney film and, no, it most certainly would not be the first or second or thousandth thread to get sidetracked in that manner.
That's why I decided to say something before a good thread devoted to three great actors got sidetracked any more.
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I assume, finance, that the other two Powell films to which you refer are Cornered and Johnny O'Clock. Whether or not it technically falls within the defintion of film noir (probably not), To the Ends of the Earth is an excellent semi-documentary thriller with Dick Powell also in tough guy form as a U.S. narcotics agent on an international hunt after opium smugglers.
And another film that Powell made in 1948, Station West, could be considered a noir western.
Powell certainly made some fine contributions to the genre, wrapping it up with another fine effort, 1951's Cry Danger.
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I think we've had a sufficient amount of side tracking on this thread about Canada. I know that it's easy to get caught up in this kind of thing but I would appreciate it if future comments by any posters would be in regard to the three actors for which the thread was originally created.
Thanks for understanding and your cooperation.
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Andy, the scene depicted in that photo doesn't actually occur in Pitfall, as you know. I still love that shot, however, because it beautifully captures the ominous hovering presence of Raymond Burr's character in the film.
Here's another shot, not quite so effective because it's a little washed out, but the creepy presence of Burr is still effectively conveyed:
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Film noir fan alert!
As announced by Eddie Muller of the Film Noir Foundation on these boards during the summer, TCM is showing director Andre de Toth's Pitfall this week.
And this one is a goodie. Dick Powell plays an insurance investigator who has a perfect family in a perfect home in the suburbs. And he's bored. That will only lead to trouble for him, especially when he meets a film noir icon, Lizabeth Scott.
The real trouble for his character, however, will come in the hulking form of a private eye he periodically hires. The private dick is played by a young Raymond Burr in his pre-Perry Mason days. Burr specialized in playing villains in his early film career but he's particularly creepy in this film as a ghoul who becomes obsessed with Scott and will stop at nothing to have her.
Burr's role may be reminiscent to some of a similar part played by Laird Cregar in I Wake Up Screaming seven years before. The difference, though, is that while Cregar had a certain built-in sympathy when he played a psycho, Burr has none in Pitfall. Burr is every woman's worst nightmare in this film, and he's none too healthy for men to run afoul, either.
I take nothing away from the performances of the leads in this film but it's Burr's performance that may haunt you.
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Welcome to the boards, Jim. Not only do you have the name and hair colour in common with Cagney but also your NYC backdrop, of course.
And when Captains of the Clouds comes on TCM this week you'll have a chance to see that Cagney red hair in Technicolor for the first time in the actor's career.
Here's a link to a 2003 article about what happened to the Norseman plane used by "bush pilot" Cagney in that film:
http://www.pastforward.ca/perspectives/sept_052003.htm
Gotta admit, Jimmy looks more like a brunette in this shot than a red head.
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When it comes to a comparison of Kirk Douglas to Burt Lancaster, I like both actors very much. However, while I think that Lancaster appeared in more good films than Douglas, I always thought that Douglas appeared in more great films than his counter part.
And if I had to go with one Douglas performance over all the others, my vote would be for one of the actor's own personal favourites, that of the loner cowboy on the run from the law and modern technology ('60s version, that is) in Lonely Are the Brave.
The relationship between the cowboy and his horse, Whiskey, in the film is genuinely touching because of the love that Douglas is able to convey in his feelings for the animal. He talks to Whiskey and natters at him, as he would an intimate friend.
I particularly love that moment towards the picture's climax in which Douglas, realizing that the horse is slowing him down and he can escape the authorities if he tries to make a run for it over the mountain on foot, tethers the horse, and starts to make his climb to almost certain freedom.
Douglas takes a final look back at the horse, and there's a beautiful shot of Whiskey looking up at him, with a look of "How can you leave me?" on his face. There's also a vulnerability to the animal, leaving him behind to whatever fate may await him.
Douglas turns his back on him and half heartedly starts to walk away before climbing back down to the animal again. He just can't abandon his best friend even though the chances of his being captured with the horse are great.
Douglas unties the tether around Whiskey's front legs.
"You're worse than a woman," he says to the horse.
I love that moment. Anyone who has felt that special bond that can be formed with some animals will identify with Douglas at that moment, and cheer for both him and the horse to make their escape. That's why the next few minutes in the film, in turn, will be so heart breaking.
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!
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mrroberts, I've seen some loose talk of a restored Sea Wolf going back a few years ago. To the best of my knowledge, however, it's still just that - talk.
I believe that when The Sea Wolf was reissued in 1947 it was cut back from the original length of 97 minutes or so to the 86 or 87 minute version that has, I believe, always been on television.
Warners came across a 16 mm version with the missing footage from the personal print owned by John Garfield, and that was a few years ago. If they can't find a 32 mm version of the same footage, quite frankly, I just wish they would release a version with the 16 mm stuff. Lesser quality is better than none.
Sea Wolf is probably my favourite Eddie Robinson film and performance.
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Thanks for the Captains of the Clouds tidbits, mrroberts, as well as that link you provided earlier on the making of the film.
Cagney had the following anecdote about the making of the film:
"One day we had just finished a scene - Alan Hale, Dennis Morgan and I - in which we had to bring in a plane, jump out of a cockpit onto the tarmac, then sprint fifty or sixty feet to get out of camera range. And this we did all day. The first take, the plane wasn't where it should have been; the second take, we weren't where we should have been, and so on down the line. Nothing right, just one miss after another. We wore out three sets of cadets, and all they had to do was walk between us and the camera as the plane taxied in. When we left the set at day's end, the three of us were bone tired.
We went to the hotel, showered and sat around in the room talking and trying to relax. There was a knock and I opened the door to find a young fellow who asked if Alan was there. Thinking he knew Alan I invited him in, and Alan and Denny assumed that the fella knew me. As it turned out, nobody knew who the hell he was. But he made himself at home immediately, grinning from ear to ear, at his ease. Finally this genial character turned to Denny and me and said, 'Now tell me, is there any work to do at all, or is it all play?'
Here we were, hardly a leg under us from this day of jumping in and out of planes onto the tarmac, weary all the way through - and we get a query like this. I looked at the fellas, they looked at me. Then Alan Hale, who was a big, pleasant, wonderful guy, looked at the stranger and said to him, 'Get out of here, you stupid son-of-a-****,' and threw him out."
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Well, at least this picture shows they could at least get along for a minute. On the set of Baby Jane:
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The character that Cagney played in Captains of the Clouds was a throwback to that same cocky mutt that he had played in numerous other films for Warners (ie. Here Comes the Navy, Devil Dogs of the Air, Fighting 69th).
While Jimmy was perhaps getting a little long in the tooth to be playing the same kind of part by the time the cameras started rolling for this production in 1941, the fact still remains that no one did it better than Cagney, whose energy and intelligence makes the cliche part seem so alive.
The first half of the film, in particular, when dealing with the bush pilots in a Technicolored North Bay Trout Lake backdrop, is quite a lot of fun to watch. Not only does the film offer you the familiar but entertaining sight of a cocky Cagney, but it also has the usual wonderful support by Warners character characters, George Tobias, Reginald Gardiner and the always-marvelous Alan Hale.
Dennis Morgan is solid as a co-star and, I must say, I NEVER saw Brenda Marshall play another role in which she was quite so sexy as in this production. (Particularly after seeing her cold impersonation of a statue in The Sea Hawk just the year before).
The film, as other posters have already stated, has a guest appearance by Canadian WWI flying ace Billy Bishop (Cagney has one of his most entertaining scenes buzzing the air field over which Bishop is in attendance "Oh, Billy, Billy Bishop," Cagney shouts from his plane, "Watch ME fly! Watch Brian McLean fly!").
Finally, Max Steiner contributed a rousing patriotic musical song, "Captains of the Clouds," to cap the whole thing off. And the film's climax, which I will not reveal, of course, is Warners at its most melodramatic and patriotic!
If Captains of the Clouds doesn't offer any real surprises, it's still a most pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.
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I hope I'm not taking this thread too much off course by mentioning the fact that there is a direct correlation between the perception of White America and "non-threatening" black figures, not only with their roles in the movies, but also within the world of sport.
Once upon a time (no longer the case, of course) the man who held the belt as heavyweight champion of the world in boxing arguably had the pinnacle position in sport. During the 1930s and 40s when Hattie McDaniel was accepted by white movie going audiences in maid roles, the heavyweight champion was Joe Louis.
And it had been a long haul for any black man to get a shot at the heavyweight title, 21 years, in fact, ever since Jack Johnson had lost it in 1916. The first decade and a half of the century (leading up to the premiere of Birth of a Nation) had been a particularly racially divided time, as we know.
And Johnson, the first black man to fight for and win the heavyweight championship, had certainly made his contributions to the intolerance of an insecure White America. Not only did this defensive boxing genius easily defeat his white opponents after becoming champion but he had also gloated in the face of White America by having white girlfriends.
One of the ultimate horrors for White America at that time was that it could not only not find a white opponent capable of defeating Johnson in the ring, but the further spectacle of a virile black man who openly flaunted inter-racial relationships with caucasian women. Thus came the shameful era in boxing known as "the Great White Hope" the search to return the heavyweight championship belt back to the white race.
Ironically, Johnson himself as champion maintained the colour barrier by fighting only white opponents, far better for the boxing gates.
Fast forward now to the dirty thirties in which another great black boxer was emerging in the heavyweight ranks in the form of Louis. But in order to acquire a growing popularity and a shot at the heavyweight crown, Louis and his promoters had learned their lessons from the inflammatory Johnson times, in which Johnson himself had added so much to the fire with his fiercely independent spirit which gloated over his mastery of white oppponents.
Louis always had the great Louis deadpan in his ring victories. There was never a flicker of emotion when he defeated an opponent, no matter what the opponent's colour. Louis was also careful, unlike the openly randy Johnson, to not be photographed in public with a white woman (even though he had an affair with Sonia Henie), nor to be seen alone in nightclubs. Louis was always humble, self deprecating in his comments in public, at times showing a sly sense of humour.
When the aged Johnson showed up at a Louis training camp in the 1930s, Louis' people were quick to show him the door. They didn't want photos of any kind taken with their humble tiger anywhere near Jack Johnson.
The result? White and Black America loved Joe Louis, he got a shot at the heavyweight crown in 1937 and would rule as champion until the end of the '40s. The white press never lost sight of Louis' colour, however. Popular as he was, he was still the "Brown Bomber" to them, among many other references to his skin colour. But he was, in fact, regarded as "a credit to his race - the human race," in one famous quote about him by a white columnist.
Louis did his patriotic duty by serving in the armed forces during WWII (though he was never near any action). When a gas chamber was being used for the first time a microphone was placed inside it for the scientific purposes of recording any words uttered by the condemned man. The first man to die was a black man. His words? "Save me, Joe Louis, save me, Joe Louis, save me, Joe Louis . . ."
Louis had that kind of idolatry at the time.
Yet during the angry, revolutionary '60s a far different kind of champion was on the scene, Muhammad Ali. Ali, with his Black Muslim connections, would be seen, in contrast to Louis, as a threat to White America. And Ali, of course, would be stripped of his heavyweight crown after refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam conflict, his highly political stance further seen as a symbolic stand against the Washington establishment.
The Ali of the '60s was a highly divisive figure and during that time he would call Joe Louis an "Uncle Tom." By the time of Louis' death in 1981 it was a different Ali who had only kind things to say about the former Brown Bomber.
But then Ali himself had gradually changed in the eyes of many white Americans in the '60s into a sports legend and hero to many by the middle and end of the '70s. With his political rhetoric largely confined to the previous decade, he concentrated instead upon regaining the heavweight crown and, upon finally achieving that end with his stunning upset of George Foreman, a good deal of the world celebrated, including large segments of White America.
And there is an irony here, of course. One of Ali's entourage during the 60s had been, incredibly, for a short while, Stepin Fetchit, the same Stepin Fetchit that had members of the NAACP, among many others, shaking their heads at his Uncle Tom roles in the movies.
By the way, Fetchit, during the tumultuous '60s before Ali's image changed, once stated of him, " People don't understand the champ but one day he'll be one of the country's greatest heroes. He's like one of those plays where a man is the villain in the first act and then turns out to be the hero in the last act."
PITFALL (1948) - Monday, Sept 2 at 4:15 pm EST
in General Discussions
Posted
TB, we definitely have different interpretations of the characters in this film. Nor do I quite understand your logic.
On the one hand you refer to Dick Powell as being "evil" and even, though there is absolutely no evidence of it, a wild speculation that he could be a stalker (like Burr).
On the other hand, you refer to wife Wyatt as being a "villain" for preventing this potential "evil stalker" from finding true happiness with Lizabeth Scott. Just who, if anyone, are your sympathies with?
The "villain" wife for trying to keep her marriage together or the "evil potential stalker" denied true happiness with another woman?
In my opinion, Dick Powell's character is no evil character or stalker. He is a flawed everyman who made a mistake and regrets it. That makes him pretty human, as far as I'm concerned.
Even in the scene in the bar in which Scott lets him know that she knows he's married, she beats him to the punch. It's apparent that when Powell says there's "a couple of things I should have mentioned before" that he is about to do the decent thing and finally be upfront with her about his marriage.
Nor is he evil for killing a poor jealous manipulated former boyfriend. Burr is the evil one for having created that scenario and confrontation in the first place. Powell made another mistake by not calling the police and, in the true tradition of film noir, events suddenly spiralled out of his control.
Powell is hardly trigger happy. He first confronts the boyfriend outside, getting the drop on him, and tells him to leave. It's only when the boyfriend then breaks a window that shots are fired. Yes, Powell will always feel guilt over another man's death because it could have been avoided, and, yes, he was wrong to allow himself to temporarily succumb to Scott, but that hardly makes him qualify as "evil."
And that comment I made about Burr being sweet and vulnerable was obviously made in jest.