The Racket (1951)
Robert Mitchum plays McQuigg, the only incorruptible police captain in the big city and the thorn in the side of mid-level bad guy Nick Scanlon (Robert Ryan).
The story wants to be big. It has political seats being guaranteed by organized crime, and informants to the mob inside the police department -- but it never feels big. It's stagey, predictable, and just plain boring. Factor in the bland look and the blah line readings and you get a big nothing.
Though I know that Mitchum can play a decent human being convincingly (The Sundowners and Ryan's Daughter being two marvelous examples), he's asked to be a menacing good guy here and he can't seem to figure out just how to do it.
C-
The story wants to be big. It has political seats being guaranteed by organized crime, and informants to the mob inside the police department -- but it never feels big. It's stagey, predictable, and just plain boring. Factor in the bland look and the blah line readings and you get a big nothing.
Though I know that Mitchum can play a decent human being convincingly (The Sundowners and Ryan's Daughter being two marvelous examples), he's asked to be a menacing good guy here and he can't seem to figure out just how to do it.
C-
posted by MeMe | 11:58 PM
<< Home