The Big Steal

'The Big Steal' sees Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer team up again after their earlier Noir classic 'Out Of The Past', which is still one of the greatest Film Noirs ever made. 'The Big Steal' isn't as good, that's a fact, but it's a very different kind of movie, and comparing the two is a bit unfair. It's much lighter in tone and approach. Still Mitchum and Greer make a great team and it's a pity they didn't work together more. Director Don Siegel went on to make 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers', 'The Killers' and 'Dirty Harry', all great favourites of mine, but 'The Big Steal' is just as good and is not to be overlooked. It's a great piece of entertainment and also features a very good performance by William Bendix, who I also really enjoyed in Hitchcock's underrated 'Lifeboat'. Forget about 'Out Of The Past' and just enjoy 'The Big Steal' for what it is, a thriller that is a great fun film.

The Big Steal (1949)

You can't go totally wrong with Robet Mitchum, and he is with Jane Greer, who was his sometimes girlfriend in Jacques Tourneur's fabulous Out of the Past (1947). This fast, chase chase chase movie is a lot of fun, and it careens through Mexico in a slightly insensitive but slightly exotic way.

Slightly. It sometimes seems like a quickie movie, for sure, but hey, this is about a love affair trying to bud amidst the chaos of crime, and there's nothing wrong with that. And one very nice thing is the Spanish is clean and honest. Even Greer's Spanish is very good, and there is no pandering to the audience too much (no subtitles, and when it switches to English it's natural).

Director Don Siegel has two legendary movies to his name, which is more than many greater directors can say: Dirty Harry (1971) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), as well as the highly regarded The Shootist (1976). I say all this partly to show he's got something special happening, and even a flawed effort like The Big Steal is going to have things to love, and to watch for.

So what to watch for? For one, even more that Mitchum who is always likable and convincing, is Greer. She brings a confident, brave, not quite hardened edge to her character and it's bracing. She never coys it up, never becomes the femme fatale of more stereotypical films. Mithcum is a good match for her, and as the race through the landscape, we get a continuation of the chemistry they started in Tourneur's film (which was set in California).

William Bendix is always a treat, even if a little bit easy to caricature, and he is cardboard here, for sure. But what the heck, he's just the one chasing, and if he become too interesting the film would start to look like fine art, which it isn't. In fact, if there is one thing that Siegel avoids it's high minded goals. He has something more pithy and immediate in mind, and gets it, and gets you, in the gut, and with an exhilaration that's really fine, really well done, not a cheap thrill at all.

The Big Steal is directed by Don Siegel and adapted by Gerald Drayson Adams & Daniel Mainwaring from the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" written by Richard Wormser. It stars Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix, Patric Knowles & Ramon Novarro. Music is by Leigh Harline and the cinematographer is Harry J. Wild.

U.S. Army Lieutenant Duke Halliday (Mitchum) is robbed of a $300,000 payroll and pursues the man responsible into Mexico. But on his tail is Captain Vincent Blake (Bendix), who suspects him of being behind the robbery himself. Meeting up with Joan Graham (Greer), it turns out that she too has an agenda with the man Duke is after. Originally suspicious of each other, the duo form an uneasy alliance in the hope of achieving their aims.

At just 71 minutes in length The Big Steal is a briskly put together movie, one that is sharply scripted, acted accordingly and directed without fuss or filler. Lensed on location in and around Mexico City to add authenticity, it gets straight into its plot from the get go. This at first gives a slight feeling of confusion, but it's not before long when the narrative pulls together and the audience can sit back and lap up the various twists, turns and choice dialogue exchanges. More comedy crime caper than film noir stinger, The Big Steal is an enjoyable enough experience. 6.5/10

There's really not much to this film, basically just a car chase and a double cross concerning money. But Don Siegel delivers the action with humor and élan. Jane Greer was not the first choice to play Robert Mitchum's buddy. Several others were not permitted by their studios to work with Mitchum because of his recent pot bust. "The Big Steal" would have died on the vine had Greer not gladly stepped in. The spark between the two is essential and what repartee. The clever dialog causes the film to glide along like a soft summer breeze south of the border.

Mitchum and Greer get the needed support from the rest of the cast. William Bendix was a versatile and talented actor. He could play comedy as well as the best comedians of the day. In "Who Done It?" Bendix out clowned Lou Costello--no easy task. He was so funny that Lou refused to work with him again because he was stealing the show. He could also play the dumb but tough thug as he did so well in "Dark Corner." He could play straight drama as in "Lifeboat," "The Hairy Ape," and "The Time of Your Life." He could play a psycho as in "The Blue Dahlia" as well as Tony Perkins. Why, he even played Babe Ruth and made people believe it. He made "The Life of Riley" come to life on early TV. He plays Capt. Vincent Blake in "The Big Steal," who is chasing Duke Halliday (Mitchum) who is chasing Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) who is trying to keep a rendezvous with Hulius Seton (John Qualen), the fence for the stolen money. One of the funniest scenes in the movie involve William Bendix and a mob (not a herd) of sheep. Watch for it. Silent movie star Ramon Novarro plays Col. Ortega, who is content to sit back and let the bad guys eliminate each other. He is also trying to learn English from Lt. Ruiz but has a few problems with American slang. Also look for Mitchum's wife, Dorothy, as one of the tourists.

It's easy to see shades of Dirty Harry in the action sequences, a sign of good things to come. Because of Don Siegel's direction and a well-written script, "The Big Steal" will steal you away.

Jane and Duke meet in Vera Cruz, where they have both come to find Jim Friske – Jane because she is missing $2000, Duke because Friske has stolen hundreds of thousands that Duke has been accused of stealing. Duke himself is being pursued by Captain Blake to get the money back and bring him to justice. Duke gives Blake the slip but Friske gets away from all of them; believing Jane to know more than she is letting on Duke limpets to her to get to Friske, only for both of them to get pulled in front of the local Inspector General Ortega. All these players dance around one another as each tries to get what they want while also protecting themselves from the others.

Opening with a couple of sudden slaps and punches I assumed this was going to be a very rough pot-boiler but in fact it turned out to be not only tough but also pretty amusing and slick. The basic plot is a bit contrived and requires all the characters to be able to move around one another without getting an easy solution. This does produce some amusing interactions as the story stays quite tight on the way to a nicely twisty conclusion. It isn't dark enough or strong enough to be classed as a serious crime thriller or noir (which it absurdly is listed as by this site) but it is certainly entertaining and tough enough to be worth checking out.

The cast really help and seem to "get" the tone of the material. Mitchum is tough but has a good humour about him that sets up the rest of the film; he has judged it well and his easy charm gives him chemistry with Greer. She is also good – light and sassy without straying too much outside of the role of needy female. Bendix is tough and flustered in a good way while Knowles makes for quite a nice relaxed thief that sits well with the playing that the script requires him and the other characters to do. Novarro is a fun addition and he works well as the observer in the background.

Overall this is not a tough gritty noir that it may appear to be from the period and those involved but it is still a fun crime drama. It is occasionally quite rough while also having a slight caper feel to it but the overall impact is one of quite a slick and enjoyable film that makes up for in fun what it loses in grit.