Dalbert Pringle When it comes to dead-seriousness, I thought this 1951 Crime/Thriller's take on that was absolutely priceless. In fact, I got such an enjoyable kick out of The Racket's poker-faced story-line that I sat through it twice.Containing a nice mix of snappy, mean-mouthed dialogue, aggressive shoving around, and unexpected day-time shootings, The Racket certainly seemed to have all the right elements required to carry it through (without much disappointment) to its inevitable "crime-doesn't-pay" ending.When it came to the likes of the 2 Roberts (that's Mitchum as the no-nonsense cop, Capt. Tom McQuigg, and Ryan as the nasty villain, Nick Scanlon), I thought that these 2 bad-boys of crime-cinema filled their respective roles as comfortably as a pair of well-fitting gloves.My one beef about this picture comes down to The Racket's token femme fatale and lounge singer, Irene Hayes. Played by the tone-deaf Lizabeth Scott, man, when this cheap canary performed her big number at the Paradise Club, I absolutely cringed at her utter lack of talent.Even though Irene did, indeed, get slapped around and royally insulted, once or twice, it didn't come anywhere near close enough to what I thought she actually deserved.

AaronCapenBanner Robert Mitchum stars in this crime story that has him star as Police Captain Thomas McQuigg, the only honest captain left in a corrupt police force paid off by local crime boss Nick Scanlon(played by Robert Ryan) who has to deal with the national crime syndicate moving in, and being pressured to conform to their methods, which isn't in Nick's nature. William Talman plays honest patrolman Bob Johnson, who helps McQuigg battle the gangsters and a corrupt D.A. turned politician(played by Ray Collins) even as his life is put in grave danger. Good cast cannot save routine and predictable story that also defies credibility one time too many.

JohnWelles "The Racket" (1951) is directed by... well, quite a few different pairs of hands actually. John Cromwell gets the credit, but he had uncredited directing help from Nicholas Ray and Mel Ferrer. It's hardly surprising actually when you look at who owned RKO when the film was made. None other than Howard Hughes, who had a panache for taking directors off movies at the drop of the hat. In fact, "Vendetta" from 1950, went through six directors! This constant reshuffling in the director's chair probably accounts for the differing feel to the picture. The beginning, quite bland and unmemorable mutates into a very good middle section before ending predictably. It would be interesting to see who did what on the motion picture.The screenplay is by William Wister Haines and W.R. Burnett (author of "Little Caesar"), and based on a play of the same name by Bartlett Cormack, which was also the basis for the 1928 film "The Racket", directed by Lewis Milestone. It is about McQuigg (Robert Mitchum), the only honest police captain on the force, and his loyal patrolman, Johnson (William Talman). Together, they take on the violent Nick Scanlon (Robert Ryan), who is backed by The Syndicate. Together, they plan to elect Welch (Ray Collins), the crooked prosecutor running for judge.Mitchum and Ryan are very good, as usual, but there is certainly an added intensity when they share the screen, and Lizabeth Scott, Ray Collins and William Conrad all contribute, good solid performances. The photography, by George E. Diskant, is very nice indeed, full of shadows and darkness. In fact, with a slightly less routing screenplay and just one director, this could have turned out to be something special. Still, as it is, it is good enough and a lot better than its reputation.

kenjha A crime boss has all the city politicians on his payroll, but must contend with an honest police captain. Saddled with an extended and talky exposition, this film takes a while to get going, but then turns into a solid crime drama. As the crime boss, Ryan is a mean, sneering, and intimidating figure, a type of role he could have played in his sleep. Mitchum is fine as the cop who has the guts to take on Ryan. As a nightclub singer, Scott not only looks like Lauren Bacall but also displays the toughness typical of Bacall in her films with Humphrey Bogart, including "Dead Reckoning," which was also directed by Cromwell. It is helped by a good supporting cast.