On B List of Movie Reviews
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The Big Steal (1949)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
2/24
2/24:
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer pair up again after appearing in the memorable film noir entitled
Out of the Past.
This time, it's for The Big Steal. What helps a lot is the film was shot on location in Mexico compared to
Macao a few years later which was mostly faked in the back studio lot. Hence, it scores points
for authenticity.
Although the film was directed by Don Siegel, I actually lost faith in him because the first hour wasn't getting my attention
because of the long car chase despite several nice tricks along the way. Finally, things got better in the last twenty
minutes, thanks to Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer showing chemistry for the first time. So, it ends well. However, the inclusion of
William Bendix's character makes little sense once he revealed the twist.
Now, remember when Robert Mitchum was arrested for marijuana possession and people thought it was going to ruin his career?
The Big Steal happened to be filmed during the time, and Howard Hughes wasn't worried about it but had a
hard time finding a supporting lady for him. When Lizabeth Scott found out about Mitchum's arrest, she dropped out in fear
of the damage that it would do to her career. At the same time, Jane Greer was being blackballed by her ex-boyfriend Howard Hughes who
finally relented to giving her the part because he couldn't get anyone else. Jane Russell was available, but he didn't want her
tainted by being associated with Robert Mitchum. Either way, the film was a box-office hit by capitalizing on his notoriety.
By the way, it's surprising to see Ramon Novarro, a one-time sex symbol, in the film. Looking considerably aged by the
late 40's due to alcoholism, he was a big star during the silent era, and his most famous role was
Ben-Hur. That's not the
William Wyler one but the black-and-white picture going all the way back to 1925. Ramon Novarro knew how to speak
Spanish because he was born and raised in Mexico. Incidentally, they should've put in translated subtitles for
The Big Steal because I had no idea what the characters were saying in Spanish.
All in all, The Big Steal is a decent light film noir picture, but
Out of the Past is far better.