T-Men (1947)
The official "government" voice of god narration is overwhelming here, and for me it kills the film. The photography is dramatic to the point of desperation--almost to make up for the stiffness of the rest of it, and I'm okay with a dull movie as long as it looks good. It doesn't make this a good movie, however, just one with lots of amazing scenes, well shot.
There is, of course, an important narrative here, as "T-Men" go after bad guys, going undercover and so on. Some of the scenes, as the narrator blabs on, are amazing--really terrific light, all different parts of the city including Chinatown, some steam baths, lots of dark interiors, a boxing ring, etc. There is some good roughing up going on, tough talk back and forth, and a gradually trust/distrust game as the T-Men infiltrate a counterfeiting ring.
The director is the admired Anthony Mann. Mann's noirs and westerns are both laced with a darkness that makes them really good, a cut above most of the others at least in the way he avoids blandness. That's worth a lot. And when this movie really gets going (after about half an hour, when the narrator recedes, though never disappears), it gets better.
The official "government" voice of god narration is overwhelming here, and for me it kills the film. The photography is dramatic to the point of desperation--almost to make up for the stiffness of the rest of it, and I'm okay with a dull movie as long as it looks good. It doesn't make this a good movie, however, just one with lots of amazing scenes, well shot.
There is, of course, an important narrative here, as "T-Men" go after bad guys, going undercover and so on. Some of the scenes, as the narrator blabs on, are amazing--really terrific light, all different parts of the city including Chinatown, some steam baths, lots of dark interiors, a boxing ring, etc. There is some good roughing up going on, tough talk back and forth, and a gradually trust/distrust game as the T-Men infiltrate a counterfeiting ring.
The director is the admired Anthony Mann. Mann's noirs and westerns are both laced with a darkness that makes them really good, a cut above most of the others at least in the way he avoids blandness. That's worth a lot. And when this movie really gets going (after about half an hour, when the narrator recedes, though never disappears), it gets better.