Racket, The (1951)

Good quality

Great cast William Talman and Ray Collins (later on Perry Mason TV series), Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott (best role done I think), and Robert Ryan. Will save to watch again. Thoroughly enjoyed the story and acting. Rec it.

This DVD is a gem. Standing like the Pillars of Hercules are tough guys Robert Ryan (the bad guy amongst many) and Robert Mitchum (the good police captain.) Ryan and Mitchum are two of the toughest tough guys of all time on the film screen, and this movie pulls some of the best performances from both of them. For Ryan, I do think this is his best performance. His snarling, contemptuous view of ordinary humans, and his desire to bend the world to his will, no matter what, just crackles across the screen.Supplementing their very fine performances, are very nice turns by Lizabeth Scott and Ray Collins. In addition, this is not your classic good guy bad guy movie. It turns out that there is corruption everywhere, and the ending will be far less predictable than one might expect. The standard effort in this genre just gives you two tough guys fighting it out, one good, and one bad. This movie is far more nuanaced than most efforts in the genre, and is a real treat.Highly recommended.

There are some pretty good actors in this one. William Talman is cool as always. If you like him, you should get "The Hitchhiker". That's a great movie too, better than the reviews say it is.

This is one of Robert Mitchum's best early film noir films. He's at his coolest, yet toughest; in case you've never seen it, Mitchum is tough, honest and unbribable city cop Tom McQuigg who gets transferred to the big town to get his cuffs on evil mobster Nick Scanlon, played by Robert Ryan, who excels at being ruthless, violent and untouchable. A cop at the precinct, who's as down on crime as McQuigg, gets taken under McQuigg's wing and as such, does some additional detective work, arresting Scanlon's kid brother for McQuigg, who wants to use him to get to Scanlon, and his girlfriend, sultry Lizabeth Scott. Scanlon is also McQuigg's ticket to the BIG crime boss, but when Scanlon kills the cop, McQuigg is determined to shut Scanlon down and avenge the cop's death, no matter who the top crime boss is. The cop is played by William Talmon of Perry Mason fame... Scott becomes an unwilling witness to expose the secrets Scanlon's brother knows about the mob and its activities. The film has a great climax where McQuigg and Scanlon finally have it out... This is a must-see film, folks! Enjoy!

"The Racket" is a 1951 black and white crime film starring Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott, and Robert Ryan. It was a re-make of the 1928 play and silent film of the same name in which a tough honest cop (Mitchum) tries to protect a key witness (Scott) against a mob leader (Ryan).Robert Mitchum (1917-97) received his only Oscar nomination for "The Story of GI Joe", but movie fans know that Mitchum was a terrific actor who deserved far more acknowledgement, but his "bad boy" persona undoubtedly interfered. Mitchum's work in films like "The Night of the Hunter" (1955) and "Cape Fear" (1962) is ranked by AFI as among the top 100 villains of all time. I liked him best as the drunken sheriff in "El Dorado" (1966).Robert Ryan (1909-73) co-stars as the gangster, a role originally played by Edward G Robinson. Ryan made nearly 100 films between 1940 and 1973. In his early years he often played a villain especially in film noir dramas ("Crossfire", "Act of Violence", "The Set Up"), then transitioned into the tough guy with a good heart role ("On Dangerous Ground"). My personal favorite Ryan role is Deke Thornton in "The Wild Bunch" (1969).FWIW - Ryan and Mitchum appeared opposite each other in "Crossfire" (1947).Sexy Lizabeth Scott (1922) was a staple in film noir of the 40s and 50s. Otfen promoted as a Lauren Bacall or Veronica Lake clone, Scott had her own magic which is on display here only briefly. I liked her best in "Dead Reckoning" (1947), also directed by Cromwell.Ray Collins (1889-1965) plays a corrupt DA. He appeared in "Citizen Kane", "The Magnificent Ambersons" and did a great job as the DA in "Touch of Evil" (1958) which was his last film before moving to TV where he appeared as Lt. Tragg on "Perry Mason". Collins puts in his usual excellent job. A truly reliable and formidable character actor for his entire career, when Collins is on the screen he demands your attention.Another future Perry Mason player appears in this film - William Tallman (1915-68) who plays an honest cop. Tallman made a dozen B films in the 50s before transitioning to TV.William Conrad (1920-94) plays a corrupt detective. Conrad is best known to us as the star of TV's "Cannon" (1971-1976). "The Killers" (1946) was his film debut, and he followed it with dozens of films until the 60s when his attention turned to TV. In addition to acting, Conrad provided voiceover for "The Fugitive", "Rocky and Bullwinkle" and "This Man Dawson".Director John Cromwell (1887-1979) made nearly 50 films from 1929 to 1961, but he was particularly busy in the 30s when he made "Tom Sawyer" (1930), "Of Human Bondage" (1934), "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1937), and "The Adventures of Marco Polo" (1938). When not directing he was a busy actor, especially on Broadway where he won a Tony in 1952 for "Point of No Return".FWIW - Cromwell originally appeared in the Mitchum role in the 1928 silent film on which this 1951 film is based.Nicholas Ray (1911-79) worked on the film. Ray is best known for "Rebel Without a Cause" (1956) for which he received an Oscar nomination (winner Delbert Mann for "Marty"). He also received a Cannes Film Festival nomination for "The Savage Innocents" (1960) and Venice Film Festival nominations for "Bitter Victory" (1957) and "Bigger than Life" (1956). My absolute favorite Ray film is the western "Johnny Guitar" (1954).1951 was a good year for films. The top grossing films were "Quo Vadis", "Alice in Wonderland", "Show Boat", "A Streetcar Named Desire", and "David and Bathsheba". Oscars went to "The Quiet Man" (Director), "High Noon" (Actor), "Come Back Little Sheba" (Actress), "The Greatest Show on Earth" (Picture), and "Viva Zapata" (Supporting Actor). Other notable releases that year included "The African Queen", "The Day the Earth Stood Still", "Murder Inc", and "A Place in the Sun".Bosley Crowther of the NY Times called the plot "unoriginal" and the direction "uninspiring". He was equally unimpressed with the acting.The film is often mis-labeled as "film noir". There is nothing film norrish about this film. It is a typical crime drama from the early 50s and reflects society's concern about "the syndicate" expanding its influence. In the real world, the Kefauver investigation was looking into this.Apart from being repetitious the film also suffers from Mitchum's performance. Mitchum was at his best as a flawed human being ("El Dorado") or as an outright villain ("Night of the Hunter") and his heroic roles were always problematic. Ryan, on the other hand, is at his psychopathic best. There's a scene with Mitchum in which Ryan chews an apple with the kind of aggression you'd shoot a gun.This film will appeal to Robert Ryan fans and to fans of crime dramas from the 50s. Film noir fans be warned - this is not film noir, nor anything close.Bottom line - an OK crime drama from the 50s, but you've seen it all before.

Want a 1950's film packed with action and intrigue? The Rackett is a Hard Hitting film that will keep you going from start to finish. Loved it so much that I also purchased the DVD.

The story is traditional big city rackets and corruption. But a young Bob Mitchum and Robert Ryan make it a cut above.