Ordinarily, I don't complain about noir clichés; instead, I refer to them as "conventions" and I keep moving. This time, however, I have to complain. One common noir cliché/convention is this: Our innocent protagonist finds herself wanted by the law, and she quickly decides, "There is no way that the cops will ever believe my story. I have no choice but to run." So she runs and, noir being noir, things go from bad to worse. But if ever there were a noir innocent who had no sane reason to run from the law, it is Money Shot's Angel Dare. She finds herself framed for a murder in the most unconvincing way, and she also finds herself in constant danger of being murdered herself. If ever there were a noir innocent who should run to the cops, it is Angel Dare. But no. Instead, she embarks on a campaign of . . . revenge! . . . thereby ensuring that when the cops do catch up with her, they actually will have caught a murderer. As a noir devotee, I usually have a fairly high tolerance for stupid, self-destructive behavior, but not this time. Grade: C-
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