Monday, March 5, 2012

The Tall Target (1951)


MGM
Directed by Anthony Mann
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Warner Archive Collection)

Dick Powell is a New York police officer who receives a tip that President-elect Lincoln will be assassinated during a speech in Baltimore. His superiors don't believe him, so he quits the force and boards a train to find the assassins himself. The problems start right away, with a man impersonating him to steal his seat, one of many suspects on the train. Powell must outwit them to not only stop the assassination, but save his own life. Mann directs with flair and a master's touch, enhanced by Paul Vogel's wonderful black-and-white cinematography and Powell's genial, smart performance.

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