A not-bad Alan Ladd thriller which could've been much better. He plays a postal inspector investigating the murder of a colleague - that's a little different, a postal inspector as hero, though really there's probably not much you can do with the mail, and soon becomes the regular guy going undercover story (NB I feel this movie was influenced by the success of Tony Mann's undercover movies at Eagle Lion).
What makes this really different is the fact a key witness is a nun, played by Phyllis Calvert. The movie should have been about her relationship with Ladd, a la Heaven Knows Mr Allison, but she disappears for the middle segment - I think the filmmakers struggled with the undercover story vs the nun story i.e. getting a nun in an undercover tale (Random thought - I wonder if this was two different scripts mashed together?).
Ladd is ideally cast and there are some great moments - a memorable opening, Jack Webb's performance as a hired goon, Webb killing Harry Morgan, Ladd knocking out Webb on the squash court, some obnoxious baby boomer kids yelling at gangsters, Paul Stewart as the baddie. Lewis Allen's direction has vigour for the most part. This is another Ladd gangster film where he uses his sexuality to distract a blonde moll.
No comments:
Post a Comment