I knew she was trouble when I first laid eyes on her. Her promising frame was draped for the Oscars but just as hollow as a keg after a frat party. Hey, sometimes you just need a little style over substance–even if it leads to a new dose of the blues. Some DVDs are like that.

Like my opening paragraph, “Dark Streets” strives for film noir greatness but falls a little short of the mark. But unlike your average bad movie, this one offers some really good music and dancing. Even the sets and costumes are remarkable. The only thing missing was a good script.

The story in “Dark Streets” is about Chaz (Gabriel Mann). He owns the hottest night club in a nondescript city of the 1930s, and he’s up to his arm pits in debt. The loan sharks are constantly circling. His millionaire father could bail him out, but he committed suicide and left Chaz without a penny. But as dark family secrets come to light, it turns out maybe Dad was murdered and Chaz risks life and limb to find out.

It is a good set up that lacks good transitions and a steady stream of logic for the characters to make the connections they make. The real key to enjoying this film is to focus on the singing and dancing. Dueling chanteuses played by Bijou Phillips and Izabella Miko have serious singing talent. The soundtrack is loaded with jazz and blues numbers. Phillips is the better actress, but clearly this is strictly a showcase for their singing talents. None of the actors seems fully engaged and multi-dimensional, although everyone looks great in clothes of that era.

The most talented singer/actor of the movie is a “cat” (no, not a feline but a dude from New Orleans) who goes by the name of Toledo. He plays the club’s emcee, but his best number doesn’t come until the final credits.

Toledo also seems to represent another odd aspect of this movie. While set in the 1930s–at least according to the cars and clothes–there is a weird influence of style in this film that seems inconsistent. Toledo looks at times as if he belongs to the cast of “Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome,” with his mohawk and sometimes strange costume selections.

Another character, a police lieutenant, looks like he might better belong in “The Matrix” or “The Shadow.”

In fact, there are any number of instances which had me thinking that the director, set designer and head of wardrobe had been watching way too much “Sin City,” “The Spirit,” “Dick Tracy” and possibly “Roger Rabbit,” despite that lack of animated characters. (And you can take that last phrase any way you like.)

I’m not sure what else there is to tell you. Buy it for the singing. Buy it for the style. Buy it for the dazzle. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you about the story. If you’re looking for one more reason to buy, part of the proceeds go to help artists displaced by Hurricane Katrina.