Rogue Cop (1954)

Detective Chris Kelvaney has a brother, Eddie, who also is a policeman. He witnessed a murderer running away from the scene of the crime. Chris has contacts with the gangster Beaumonte, who... See full summary »

Director:

Roy Rowland

Writers:

Sydney Boehm (screen play), William P. McGivern (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Janet Leigh, George Raft

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Taylor	...	Det. Sgt. Christopher Kelvaney
Janet Leigh	...	Karen Stephanson
George Raft	...	Dan Beaumonte
Steve Forrest	...	Eddie Kelvaney
Anne Francis	...	Nancy Corlane
Robert Ellenstein	...	Det. Sidney Y. Myers
Robert F. Simon	...	Ackerman
Anthony Ross	...	Father Ahearn
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Johnny Stark
Peter Brocco	...	George 'Wrinkles' Fallon
Vince Edwards	...	Joey Langley
Olive Carey	...	Selma
Roy Barcroft	...	Lt. Vince D. Bardeman
Dale Van Sickel	...	Manny
Ray Teal	...	Patrolman Mullins

Storyline

Detective Chris Kelvaney has a brother, Eddie, who also is a policeman. He witnessed a murderer running away from the scene of the crime. Chris has contacts with the gangster Beaumonte, who is willing to pay $15,000 if Eddie withdraws his testimony. But Eddie is an honorable cop and refuses. Beaumonte makes sure that Eddie is killed. After his death, Kelvaney starts to track down his brother's killer.

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Plot Keywords:

policeman | police officer killed | death of brother | moral corruption | policeman shot | 

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Genres:

Film-Noir | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 1955 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Kelvaney

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first feature of Robert Ellenstein.

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Goofs

When Father Ahearn comes to the police station to talk to Chris, he puts his right hand on Chris's left shoulder in the over-the-shoulder shot, but the cut to the master reveals his left hand on Chris's right shoulder.

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Quotes

Det. Sgt. Christopher Kelvaney: I know who you are and what league you played in... you were Frankie Nemo's girl weren't you?
Karen Stephanson: Yes.
Det. Sgt. Christopher Kelvaney: [Sarcastically] Yass, yass... that all you have to say? Where's the cute story? Didn't he hold a mortgage on the old plantation... Wasn't he threatening the virtue of your little sister... That kind of routine? I go for cute stories.

User Reviews

Hard And Tough

With some of the roles he played as he got older, it's hard to believe that at one time MGM was worried about a powder puff image that Robert Taylor had in his youth.

Seeing Taylor as Chris Kelvaney in Rogue Cop is like seeing a whole different player than Armand in Camille. But it's the same guy and a film like Rogue Cop brings out the maturity and depth Taylor had as an artist as well as a person.

Taylor is a long time big city cop on the take to gangland boss George Raft. He's risen pretty high in the department and could go farther. He's a pretty cynical dude, in his chosen field he's seen a lot of the worst that people can be.

But he's got a kid brother played by Steve Forrest who's a straight arrow. He doesn't know about his brother and he gets himself killed because he crosses Raft in the performance of his duty.

Forrest's death gives Taylor a mission, he'll take Raft down no matter what it costs.

There are two prominent female roles, Janet Leigh as Forrest's girl friend who later develops an interest in Taylor and Anne Francis as Raft's moll who turns against him. Both women hold their own in what is a male dominated film. Francis borrows quite a bit from Gloria Grahame and her performance in The Big Heat. Also both Rogue Cop and The Big Heat have blackmail of a syndicate boss as the underpinning of the story.

Raft of course is in his element as a gangland boss. In the rest of the cast there's a very nice performance by Robert Ellenstein as Taylor's honest partner. The final shootout with Raft and company with the two of them is one of the best and most realistic ever staged in a film.

For Robert Taylor fans, Rogue Cop is an absolute must and people who don't think much of Taylor as player will be jolted at how well he does in this film.