The Capture (1950)

A badly injured fugitive explains to a priest how he came to be in his present predicament.

Director:

John Sturges

Writer:

Niven Busch

Stars:

Lew Ayres, Teresa Wright, Victor Jory

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lew Ayres	...	Vanner
Teresa Wright	...	Ellen
Victor Jory	...	Father Gomez
Jacqueline White	...	Luana
Jimmy Hunt	...	Mike
Barry Kelley	...	Mahoney
Duncan Renaldo	...	Carlos
William Bakewell	...	Tolin
Milton Parsons	...	Thin Man
Frank Matts	...	Juan
Felipe Turich	...	Valdez
Edwin Rand	...	Tevlin

Storyline

Badly injured and hunted by the police, Lin Vanner takes refuge in a priest's home, and tells him what has happened. When Vanner was working in a Mexican oil field, he captured a man who was suspected of a payroll robbery, but then felt responsible when the man died in police custody. As a result of the incident, Vanner's fiancée broke off their engagement, and he resigned from his job. He later felt compelled to visit the dead man's widow, and ended up working on her ranch. But, as he now explains to the priest, the past has quickly caught up with him.

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Plot Keywords:

priest | widow | ranch | payroll robbery | fugitive | 

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Taglines:

Another VIOLENT STORY by the author of "DUEL in the SUN"

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Daybreak

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Niven Busch Productions, Showtime Properties

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Rico Alaniz.

User Reviews

Effective Elements, Unevenly Combined

Note the lengthy action hook at the beginning. But once Vanner (Ayers) links up with Ellen (Wright)-- wife of the man Vanner killed under cloudy circumstances-- the movie bogs down into character study, before an action-laden climax. It's an interesting if uneven film using rocky LA area locations to unsettling effect.

So is the man Vanner's killed in a shoot-out, really a payroll robber or not. Racked by uncertainty, Vanner travels incognito to the widow's farm to work there and, in the process, find out more about her dead husband. But will she find out who he really is and what he's done. The premise here is a compelling one. Too bad it soon bogs down.

I suspect the family oriented middle part was aimed at giving Ayers and Wright a chance to again show their acting chops. Which they do, but detrimentally to the pacing. The script also contains several creative ironies, particularly the wounded arm that helps Vanner expiate his guilt feelings. Looks like Victor Jory's unexpectedly brief appearance was a marquee helping payday. Anyway, no film with the rotund Barry Kelley can afford to be passed up. All in all, it's an interesting, if flawed, black-and-whiter, with an unusual final frame. Too bad the effective elements are not more tightly combined.