This 1949 film comes recommended by film noir czar Eddie Muller. It is a nifty retelling of the Faust myth where the ambitious man is willing to sell his soul to the devil to achieve his desired fame and power. Ray Milland starring as Nick Beal a.k.a. The Devil does a good job of personifying evil with his clipped speech and piercing, dark eyes. Thomas Mitchell as Joseph Foster is the conflicted, paunchy politician-D.A. who wants to be elected the governor. He sets up a meeting with Nick who pitches Foster the grand deal. The alway reliable Audrey Totter (I liked her best in The Setup with Robert Ryan) as the femme fatale Donna Allen gives Nick a hand in seducing Foster over to the dark side. Meantime George Macready as the Reverend Thomas Garfield represents the side of good and justice. There is lots of fog at a seedy portside bar where Nick likes to meet with his clients and hang out while drinking expensive brandy. The musical score is an eerie one, too. Everything is kept mortal throughout the picture, so there are no Exorcist-like special effects. I appreciated that aspect, too. IMDb.com rates Alias Nick Beal as 7.0/10.0, but I think it's more like 7.9. Googling it turns up a number of video sites that are streaming it online.
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