Railroaded!

John Ireland is a cold blooded and vile villain and Hugh Beaumont is an honest detective who's not so sure that he and his fellow overzealous cops have the right suspect (Ed Kelly) in the murder of a police officer in a gangland robbery. Toss in an evil cat fight between Sheila Ryan and Jane Randolph and "Railroaded!" becomes a prime example of Anthony Mann' superior post-war Film Noir direction. Using low lights and a suggestive script despite a low budget and grade "B" actors, Mann jumps right into the action from the start with a botched robbery that leads to not just the death of a cop, but the railroading of an innocent man. Mann builds the story up with tension and skill until the taught finale filled with gun shots, breaking glass, and confusing camera angles. It may be a "B" movie, but Mann deserves a "A" for his effort.

John Ireland's portrayal of a cold obsessed killer is the best thing in this movie. His performance is edgy, sexy and menacing. A brutal thug who loves his gun. Unfortunately he is hampered by a weak script, where his actions often make little sense. (For instance, why would he contact the sister of the suspect he framed?). Jane Randolph is also strong as the moll, although her character seems to change midway through the movie.

One of the first noir films directed by Anthony Mann, the movie is well shot, fast paced, tightly edited and tough. One wishes the focus could have stayed on Ireland, or, alternatively, the strong scenes of Ed Kelly being framed and pushed around by the cops. Mann will better develop these themes in his later films (noirs and westerns). Still a pretty enjoyable movie and a must for film noir fans.

Once I got into collecting film-noir movies, I had to have this one, so I paid big bucks for the VHS. I say that because it added to my disappointment. The film is okay, but if you have really high expectations before seeing this, you'll probably be let down, as I was. I liked this more on the second viewing when I knew what to expect.

In the beginning, it dwells too long on the innocent man-being arrested theme but after that part is over, it picks up, but then bogs down again. For people who grew up watching "Leave It To Beaver" on TV, this film offers Hugh Beaumont as a main character. Since I did, I always find it interesting to see Beaumont in different roles. I also enjoyed ogling a pretty brunette, "Rosie," played by Sheila Ryan. The climax to this story was good, and it was surprisingly realistic. There was some decent film-noir photography in spots, too. Overall, okay but not what it's cracked up to be.

After watching RAILROADED, I'm convinced JOHN IRELAND could have taken his place alongside men like ROBERT MITCHUM doing grim little film noirs during the '40s. He's excellent as a tight-lipped gangster with a scowling expression as he methodically kills anyone double-crossing him or standing in his way. He knocks around his blonde girlfriend (JANE RANDOLPH) with woman-hating contempt and fires bullets with casual lack of concern for fatalities. In short, he makes an ideal film noir anti-hero.

HUGH BEAUMONT, known by most fans principally as Beaver's dad on TV, is only lukewarm as the detective who falls for SHIELAH RYAN and decides to help her track down the killer after Ireland frames her kid brother (ED KELLY) for the murder of a policeman. Their final fade-out kiss looks a little clumsy but--hey, the accent is on crime and action, not romance.

Anthony Mann does the best he can with a low-budget crime melodrama and turns it into a taut, well-made, shadowy film noir with Ireland showing his stuff as a ruthless gangster.

Summing up: Brisk and entertaining, it's well worth watching for fans of this genre.

Railroaded! (1947)

*** (out of 4)

Anthony Mann directed this thriller, which has a Detective (Hugh Beaumont) trying to clear an innocent man of murder charges. The Detective eventually falls for the suspect's sister (Sheila Ryan), which leads to a wannabe gangster (John Ireland) who we know is the real killer. This is a pretty suspenseful and highly entertaining little film that has a whole lot going for it. Mann does a terrific job at keeping the film moving very nicely and he has enough interesting characters for two films. This was my first time seeing Beaumont outside of his role of the father on Leave it to Beaver and I was shocked to see how well he played a tough guy. His Detective has all the charm, energy and toughness, which is expected in a film like this. Ireland is terrific as the thug and Ryan does a nice job, although she's not on the same level as the two men. There's also a wonderful fight between two women, which has to be seen to be believed.