Leofwine_draca THE BIG STEAL is a rip-roaring crime adventure yarn which sees the dogged army lieutenant Robert Mitchum travelling through Mexico where he's hot on the trail of a robber escaping with a stash of loot. Along the way, Mitchum teams up with the fraudster's fiancé, and is pursued by an army captain who thinks he's the real robber.That's the plot in a nutshell, and the film ends up writing itself thanks to the action-laden premise. And THE BIG STEAL offers massive entertainment value indeed, not least to the direction of Don Siegel, working early on in his career and bringing the same verve and vitality to this as he would to the likes of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and DIRTY HARRY.Mitchum is on top form as the likable lead and he's given great support by the alluring Jane Greer and the increasingly exasperated William Bendix. The structure of the narrative allows for plenty of near escapes and car chases, along with two-fisted fight scenes and some light comedy and romance thrown into the mix. It's one of those films with a little bit of everything and I found myself really enjoying it.

LeonLouisRicci It's kinda Fun to Read Critics Twist and Turn this into a Film Noir with Varying Results. But the Bottom Line is No. This is not a Film Noir but is Nonetheless a Watchable, Frantic, Chase/Comedy that is a Rather Light Romp Considering the Talent Involved.It is a Wide Open, Dirt Road of a Movie that has more Motion and is more Expansive than most of the B-Movies of the Forties. The Characters are One Dimensional and the Dialog is Hardly Cynical. There are a Few Fisticuffs that are Effective and Occasionally the Film can turn a bit Brutal. But in the End it is just too Whimsical to be anything more than a Good, and a bit Different Crime Movie. One of the Early Efforts from Director Don Siegel and while it is Sometimes Intriguing, the Overall Tone is as Light as the Bright Mexican Landscape.

secondtake The Big Steal (1949)You can't go totally wrong with Robet Mitchum, and he is with Jane Greer, who was his sometimes girlfriend in Jacques Tourneur's fabulous Out of the Past (1947). This fast, chase chase chase movie is a lot of fun, and it careens through Mexico in a slightly insensitive but slightly exotic way. Slightly. It sometimes seems like a quickie movie, for sure, but hey, this is about a love affair trying to bud amidst the chaos of crime, and there's nothing wrong with that. And one very nice thing is the Spanish is clean and honest. Even Greer's Spanish is very good, and there is no pandering to the audience too much (no subtitles, and when it switches to English it's natural).Director Don Siegel has two legendary movies to his name, which is more than many greater directors can say: Dirty Harry (1971) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), as well as the highly regarded The Shootist (1976). I say all this partly to show he's got something special happening, and even a flawed effort like The Big Steal is going to have things to love, and to watch for.So what to watch for? For one, even more that Mitchum who is always likable and convincing, is Greer. She brings a confident, brave, not quite hardened edge to her character and it's bracing. She never coys it up, never becomes the femme fatale of more stereotypical films. Mithcum is a good match for her, and as the race through the landscape, we get a continuation of the chemistry they started in Tourneur's film (which was set in California). William Bendix is always a treat, even if a little bit easy to caricature, and he is cardboard here, for sure. But what the heck, he's just the one chasing, and if he become too interesting the film would start to look like fine art, which it isn't. In fact, if there is one thing that Siegel avoids it's high minded goals. He has something more pithy and immediate in mind, and gets it, and gets you, in the gut, and with an exhilaration that's really fine, really well done, not a cheap thrill at all.

MartinHafer Wow--talk about a strange but likable combination. This film is sort of like a mixture of film noir, and adventure film, a comedy and it's all set in Mexico. While this unusual melange might seem to make no sense, it actually works very well and it supremely watchable. Much of the reason for this was the excellent script that provided enough twists to keep a simple idea humming and another were the likable leads, Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer.The film begins with Robert Mitchum being confronted by William Bendix on a cruise ship. Bendix has a gun on Mitchum and you aren't sure what the context is for this. Who is the good guy and who is the bad and what has happened up until this time? Instead of making this clear, the film deliberately keeps this all rather vague--a very good choice in hindsight. Since Mitchum is the studly male lead, you aren't particularly surprised when he manages to overpower Bendix and escape.Once Mitchum escapes, he goes looking for a man (Patric Knowles) and apparently Jane Greer is also looking for the same con man. However, again and again, Knowles slips through their hands and the film consists of a road trip across Mexico to get their hands on Knowles. He evidently stole something--but what? And what about Bendix? Tune in and find out for yourself.As I mentioned above, the story works well due to the writing and acting. Greer and Mitchum are a good pair and their dialog is actually quite snappy and funny. I also appreciated how the Mexicans were portrayed--they were normal folks--something unusual for 1940s Hollywood.Overall, an exciting and fun film from start to finish and a next followup from their last film together, OUT OF THE PAST. However, according to the accompanying featurette (a DVD extra), Greer was not the first choice but Lizbeth Scott refused to star in the film with Mitchum following his arrest for marijuana possession.