Dangerous Mission (1954)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Louis King

Writers:

Charles Bennett (writer)
W.R. Burnett (writer)

Release Date:

6 March 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

Witness to a mob killing and afraid to testify, young Louise Graham flees to Montana where she hopes...

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | National Park | Murder | Beautiful Woman | 3 Dimensional

Cast

Victor Mature	...	Matt Hallett
Piper Laurie	...	Louise Graham
William Bendix	...	Chief Ranger Joe Parker
Vincent Price	...	Paul Adams
Betta St. John	...	Mary Tiller
Harry Cheshire	...	Mr. Elster
Steve Darrell	...	Katoonai Tiller
Walter Reed	...	Ranger Dobson
Marlo Dwyer	...	Mrs. Elster
Dennis Weaver	...	Ranger clerk

Also Known As:

Rangers of the North (USA)

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #16641, General Audience) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Underrated Noir Thriller About a Man Who Is Something Special

When "Dangerous Mission" was made as a another "B" color feature in 1954, it was probably considered by its producers to be a a routine action script. The film did have lovely young Piper Laurie, Betta St. John, Harry Cheshire. plus Vincent Price, William Bendix and as star handsome Victor Mature. But I assert that it had some hidden assets as well: very intelligent direction, unusually lovely Glacier National Park scenery, a logical storyline and first-rate production values from Roy Webb's music to costumes by Michael Wulfe and sets to art direction and second-unit work by Asst. Director James Lane. Also, the script was what I term a "sense-of-life film", of the same sort as "Bend of the River", "Smoke Signal" and "The Miracle Worker". We as viewers in other words only learn about a charismatic but suspect hero gradually, by experiencing his actions which are set against his negative reputation. Price steals the film as a complex character out of place among straightforward personalities; Mature lacks the speech for a senior detective but Bendix, St. John and Laurie and Cheshire are all very good in their roles. Make no mistake; this is an inexpensive film, with the outdoor actions using rear- projection to include most of the Glacier Park locales. But the film looks colorful and very spacious for a "B". It presents a square dance interrupted by an avalanche, a battle with a live-wire, a first-rate forest fire, a stirring chase and climactic battle on the glacier, plus intelligent dialogue and character-revelation scenes. The makers have put together I suggest a first-rate romance, an interesting mystery noir, and a very entertaining adventure. I never miss this one, having discovered it fifty years ago and championed its values for years. With a Keith Andes as its star, it might have become famous.