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T-Men (1947) More at IMDbPro »
23 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
Talents of Mann, Alton elevate routine thriller about cracking counterfeiting ring, 21 February 2002
Author: bmacv from Western New York
Whether by fluke or design, joining the talents of director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton resulted in one of the most potent creative teams in movie history – certainly in the film noir cycle whose look and energy they helped forge (Alton's contributions are so innovative and striking that they amount to co-direction). Working for Eagle-Lion Studios on Poverty Row, they took a routine agents-in-peril plot packed with propaganda about Our Tax Dollars At Work in Washington and turned it into a memorable film that's little short of extraordinary -- at least at times.
Treasury agents Dennis O'Keefe and Alfred Ryder get assigned to track down a counterfeiting ring uttering high-quality, almost indetectable paper. They catch the scent, by means of cigars and Chinese herbs, of a portly gentleman in San Francisco. Going into deep cover, they get drawn into an increasingly edgy and violent underworld, putting themselves at considerable risk (in one of the film's most morally freighted moments, one of them doesn't make it out).
Appreciating this film means shutting out the super-patriotic anthem that rings out whenever we catch sight of the Capitol dome and the narrator's portentous drone that accompanies it (actually, more than 50 years later, these laughable gimmicks add a piquant period flavor). Instead, watch for Mann's syncopated pacing, which always catches you off guard, and for Alton's amazing throwaway effects. There are shots in this low-budget exercise so complex and evocative that they're models of the cinematographer's craft (Alton did, after all, write the seminal textbook "Painting With Light"). Shifting double images in the windows of telephone booths and pizza shops create parallel worlds.
The film leaves us with a number of unforgettable set-pieces: Assassin Charles McGraw plying his trade in a Turkish bath, Ryder not being able to acknowledge his new bride for fear of blowing his cover, a murder which one of the agents dares not prevent, or even react to. T-Men looks terrific, keeps us on edge, and deserves its reputation as one of the high-points of the film noir cycle.
14 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Treasury men, 7 June 2006
Author: jotix100 from New York
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
When counterfeit currency begin appearing in the L.A. area, the Treasury Dept. comes to investigate. The only way to deal with the problem is to have two agents from different areas of the country infiltrate the ring in order to have the ones responsible captured. Dennis O'Brien and Tony Genaro are the two men tapped for the job.
It takes both men a while in getting to know how the gang operates. Dennis O'Brien gets lucky when he follows the Schemer into a craps game where he passes a counterfeit bill that is soon discovered. O'Brien is the one that is able to penetrate and get to know who are the people involved and is instrumental in solving the mystery.
"T-Men", directed with an amazing style by Anthony Mann is told documentary style, as though what we are watching was an episode, or a re-enactment of the real incident narrated by someone in the Treasury Department. Mr. Mann's direction and his innovative camera placements are about what makes the film watchable. The interesting black and white cinematography by John Alton gives the film a great look that keeps the viewer involved in the story. The background music is by Paul Sawtill and it works good with the action.
Dennis O'Keefe makes a cool Dennis O'Brien, the T-Man that is smart and is able to solve the puzzle at the risk of losing his own life. Alfred Ryder plays Tony Genaro, another T-man whose cover is blown by a friend of his wife. Wallace Ford is perfect as the oily Schemer, a man who loves to gamble and the steam baths. Mary Meade, June Lockhart, Charles McGraw, are seen in supporting roles.
The film clearly points out to the talent of a great film director, Anthony Mann, who created a film with a style and a substance that others imitated, but never succeeded.
13 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Sizzling Semi-Doc, 11 October 2002
Author: telegonus from brighton, ma
T-Men is yet another collaboration of director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton, a sizzling semi-doc done in the noir manner, it's the usual fed goes undercover story, and yet made with such verve and energy as to jump off the screen. The larger than life film-making, combined with the sober subject matter, almost tip this one into the realm of the surreal, as Mann and Alton were basically too talented for such mundane material, as essentially the script serves their talents, which are considerable, rather than the other way around. Routine as the story is, this is magnificent film-making.
11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
The Work of the Treasury Men, 26 February 2006
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York
The oldest federal law enforcement outfit going are the Treasury Men, those intrepid folks who see that no one avoids paying the federal duties on various items or counterfeits our money. That was the subject that Director Anthony Mann decided to tackle in the documentary style made famous over at 20th Century Fox in such films as Boomerang, The Street With No Name, and The House on 92nd Street.
Over at Fox it was done for effect. But as good as T-Men is and it is a crackling good film, let's not forget the reason for John Alton's camera work with lights and shadows is because he and Mann were working on a B picture. These guys got creative because they had to. Later on Anthony Mann in the Fifties got some real good size budgets to work with in those technicolor westerns he did with James Stewart. You'd hardly know it was the same director.
T-Men involves treasury agents Dennis O'Keefe and Alfred Ryder going undercover to get a very slick group of counterfeiters. The murder of an informer brings the Treasury Department to the decision to use undercover men. They meet all kinds of criminal types of both sexes and in good noir style the tension mounts before they too become informed on.
Our good guys blend well into the criminal world in their performances. But the outstanding acting in T-Men is done by hit man Charles McGraw and Wallace Ford who is aptly nicknamed Schemer in this film.
This is definitely a film for fans of the noir genre.
14 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Cinematography Is The Star Here, 24 October 2005
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States
This is one of the better examples of film noir cinematography. Once the introductions are over and the dramatization of the case begins, the film overflows with startling black-and-white contrasts and interesting camera angles. Director Anthony Mann and photographer John Alton were at the top of their game and the DVD transfer enhances their work.
The great camera-work more than makes up for the fact that the story is just so-so, the weakest of the three noirs the two did together on this 3-pack DVD (the others being, He Walked By Night and Raw Deal.) However, it does sport the typically-tough film noir characters and some great suspense over the last 10-15 minutes. What you have to wade through is the boring beginning but staying with it will be rewarding.
I thought the grim story could have used a little warmth, at least some wisecracking with some floozy "dame." But, no molls in this story this is man's gangster film all the way.
10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Hard-boiled film noir classic from Anthony Mann..., 26 May 2000
Author: FelixtheCat from Cleveland, OH
Director Anthony Mann's hard-boiled, film noir approach coupled with the stylistic cinematography of John Alton make this semi-documentary tale of government treasury agents infiltrating a large counterfeit ring an exciting crime drama. Dennis O'Keefe is great as a hard-nosed agent who slowly earns the trust of the bad guys while his partner, Alfred Ryder, is his equal as the sacrificing newlywed whose duty to his country comes before his duty as a husband. The film offers a fascinating look into the world of undercover work and intrigue and even has an opening segment from the Treasury Office itself.
8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Brief summary, 16 November 1998
Author: Glenn Andreiev (gandreiev@aol.com) from Huntington, NY
One of the better documentary style noir thrillers that was popular in post World War II Hollywood. Reed Hadley gives a neat deep voiced narration, souding like some sort of law enforcement officer, but it's a bit much at times. Dennis O'Keefe stars as a federal agent disguised as a small time hood. His target- to nab counterfeiters. Anthony Mann keeps the story fascinating, as O'Keefe dives deeper and deeper into the underworld. The real star here is John Alton's superb black and white cinematography, using harsh, minimal light, he creates a world that just peeks out of pools of black.
7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Tense crime thriller in gritty noir style..., 6 June 2006
Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.
Some nice shadowy photography by John Alton and a well-paced storyline directed with style by Anthony Mann, makes for a diverting crime melodrama in crisp documentary style that was popular in the early to mid-'40s. Think BOOMERANG, THE HOUSE ON 92nd STREET, 13 ROUE MADELEINE and other Fox melodramas of that era.
But this was done on a poverty row budget by Eagle-Lion with the usually light-weight actor DENNIS O'KEEFE in the sort of role usually handed to someone like Dana Andrews, Mark Stevens, John Hodiak or William Eythe if the film was made at Fox.
He's surprisingly good as a noir hero whose task is to infiltrate a counterfeit gang with another Federal man, posing as would-be counterfeiters, and thus providing a succession of suspenseful moments where our hero is in danger of being exposed as a T-man for the government. Even more effective, in lesser roles, are CHARLES McGRAW and WALLACE FORD. In fact, McGraw would have been an even better choice for the lead than O'Keefe, his tight-lipped bearing and impressive physique suiting him for the role of a dangerous noir hero.
June Lockhart has only a fleeting appearance in one brief scene but others in the cast are properly sinister or authoritative, according to the way the script depicts the supporting characters.
Summing up: Worth a look, but not at the top of the film noir greats due to a script that is only slightly above average.
6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
A noir classic, 6 August 2001
Author: thesmothete from United States
This undercover-secret-service-agents-infiltrate-counterfeiting-ring film is heavily dependent on exceptionally fine noir lighting and camera work under the direction of Albert Mann which help to maintain a high degree of tension, notwithstanding its pseudo-documentary format (complete with voice-over narrator) and somewhat stilted acting. Wallace Ford is positively slimy in the supporting role of Schemer, a hood-fallen-in-influence.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
A very good Noir film due to its realism and lack of clichés, 13 January 2007
Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida
This film is rather reminiscent of the excellent Alan Ladd Noir film, APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER (about a postal inspector infiltrating a murderous gang). In this case, the undercover work is done by two Treasury agents--Dennis O'Keefe and Alfred Ryder. I really liked these two as leads because despite being far from household names, the acting was excellent and believable. Also, true to Noir, they weren't exactly handsome guys--more like a tough average man instead of the usual non-Noir heroes.
O'Keefe and Ryder play undercover agents who are trying to infiltrate a gang of counterfeiters. It's dangerous work and they can't just arrest people because they have no idea who is in charge. Throughout the film, tough bad guys (such as Charles McGraw) and unflinching but realistic violence is present--as well as an excellent level of suspense. Unlike some Noir films, this one pulls no punches nor does it give way to sentimentality. This is a seldom-seen but exceptional film for lovers of the genre.
By the way, I had one minor complain and that was the terrible narration. My score for the film, because of this, is knocked from an 8 to 7. When the film began, a Treasury official gave an introduction that was VERY stilted and he simply couldn't read his lines well. Then, throughout the film, a different narrator spoke on occasion and just wasn't necessary to the film--it was a minor distraction.
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