[1] The ruthless Mr. Big is timing the arrival of an armored car picking up money from a bank and a flower delivery truck, driven by deliveryman Joe Rolfe.
He plans to rob the armored car with three men: Peter Harris (a gambler wanted for murder); Boyd Kane (a cop killer); and Tony Romano (a womanizing get-away driver).
His true identity is revealed to be Tim Foster, a one-time high-ranking Kansas City police officer who was forced to retire when his name was linked to a scandal.
He will spring a trap on them, pretend he solved the robbery, get the 25% reward for having done so and possibly reclaim his job with the Kansas City police.
With his dying breath, he tells Scott that Rolfe was his source and deserves the $300,000 reward for having helped recover the stolen money from the robbery.
Small bought the title Kansas City Confidential from Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer.
[7] Filming started June 4, 1952, and was partly shot on Santa Catalina Island, California, which stood in for a Mexican village resort.
[8] The story begins in Kansas City, but most of the film actually takes place at a fictitious fishing resort, Borados, in Mexico.
Kansas City Confidential was director Karlson's second crime film; he also directed Scandal Sheet, also released in 1952, which proved to be a modest commercial success.
Karlson was "a gifted filmmaker who had recently graduated from the Poverty Row studio Monogram"; the film starred John Payne, a "popular singer of the 1940s who some say was working his way down from Technicolor musicals at 20th Century Fox"[4] but after his Fox contract expired produced several of his own films.
[10] Variety wrote "With exception of the denouement, director Phil Karlson reins his cast in a grim atmosphere that develops momentum through succeeding reels.
"[12] Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was not a fan, writing that Kansas City Confidential "appears designed—not too adroitly—just to stimulate the curious and the cruel.
The screen play by George Bruce and Harry Essex is an illogical fable of crime, the direction by Phil Karlson is routine and the leading role is bluntly acted by John Payne.
Neville Brand, Jack Elam and Preston Foster do not shine in other roles, except as drab exponents of the violence that suffuses and corrupts this measly film.
"[14] Dave Kehr of The New York Times gave MGM Home Entertainment's 2007 DVD release of the film an extensive review.
In addition to many DVDs of poor to average quality, there are Blu-rays from Film Chest and HD Cinema Classics in the US, and Rimini Editions in France.