Born to Kill

Born to Kill (released in the U.K. as Lady of Deceit and in Australia as Deadlier Than the Male) is a 1947 RKO Pictures American film noir starring Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor and Walter Slezak with Esther Howard, Elisha Cook Jr., and Audrey Long in supporting roles. The film was director Robert Wise's first film noir production, preceding his later work on The Set-Up (1949) and The Captive City (1952). Plot San Francisco socialite Helen Brent has established residence in Reno, Nevada in order to obtain a divorce decree and is lodging in a boarding house owned by the feisty Mrs. Kraft. Helen meets Laury Palmer, a fellow boarder and Mrs. Kraft's best friend, who confides that she has accepted a date with a man named Danny in order to incite jealousy in her new beau, Sam Wilde. Sam sees them together that evening. Later, he enters Mrs. Kraft's house and confronts Danny. He bludgeons Danny to death and then kills Laury. Helen discovers the bodies and flees to San Francisco, but does not contact the police. She meets Sam and is attracted to his self-assurance. Neither knows the other's part in the events. Back in Reno, Mrs. Kraft hires private detective Albert Arnett to find Laury's killer.