The Chase (1946)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Arthur Ripley

Writers:

Cornell Woolrich (novel)
Philip Yordan (writer)

Release Date:

16 November 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir

Plot:

Chuck Scott gets a job as chauffeur to tough guy Eddie Roman; but Chuck's involvement with Eddie's fearful wife becomes a nightmare.

Plot Keywords:

Chauffeur | Wallet | Napoleon Brandy | WWII Veteran | Betrayal

Cast

Robert Cummings	...	Chuck Scott
Michèle Morgan	...	Lorna Roman
Steve Cochran	...	Eddie Roman
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Emmerrich Johnson
Jack Holt	...	Cmdr. Davidson
Don Wilson	...	Fats
Alex Minotis	...	Lt. Acosta
Nina Koshetz	...	Madame Chin
Yolanda Lacca	...	Midnight
James Westerfield	...	Job the butler
Jimmy Ames	...	The Killer
Shirley O'Hara	...	Manicurist
Peter Lorre	...	Gino

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #12019, Adult Audience)

Company:

Nero Films

Quotes:

Chuck Scott: You never saw me before, but you helped me. Why?
Midnight: Cops! I hate cops!

Movie Connections:

Edited into Terror in the Pharaoh's Tomb (2007) (V)

A Little Cheating Going On

This has a nice premise. It has some great bits, especially the car. The problem is in the motivations of a troubled mind. The dream sequence is a bit of cheating, in my eyes. It seems a little too easy to throw it in there and give the characters a second chance. Also, is the Cummings character just a little off his rocker as well. Anyway, there are wonderful camera angles, nice pacing, threat, psychosis and lots of other neat things that could have been just a little more compact. I love Peter Lorre's musings and victimization. He whines better than any actor in the history of film. He must know from one day to the next that his connection with the bad guy is going to cost him dearly somewhere down the line. Live for today, I guess.