Bodyguard
Tags: violence, murder

Plot synopsis:
Bodyguard revolves around young Jayakrishnan (Dileep), who has a very strange habit; he adulates anyone with a trace of heroism. Whenever he develops an admiration towards a person, he prefers to move with that person as a sort of bodyguard. He starts admiring Ashokan (Thiagarajan), a former liquor tycoon and leading businessman. Jayakrishnan wants to be Ashokan's bodyguard, but Ashokan does not need a bodyguard. Later, Jayakrishnan approaches Ashokan with a recommendation from someone he cannot refuse. He achieves his luck after saving Ashokan from danger.
Jayakrishnan thus becomes the bodyguard of Ashokan's only daughter Ammu (Nayantara). Jayakrishnan follows Ammu to her college as her bodyguard. Ammu and her friend Sethulakshmi (Mithra Kurian) gets irritated with him following them all day.
Jayakrishnan takes his role as bodyguard very seriously and follows the two girls around constantly. In an attempt to get rid of him, Ammu and Sethulakshmi make up a "fake lover" hoping to distract Jayakrishnan from his duties as a bodyguard. It works! Jayakrishnan falls in love with "PRIVATE NUMBER", and is constantly looking for this girl. He has no idea that his lover is Ammu. Ammu, as a joke, calls Jayakrishnan and speaks badly about Ammu. Jayakrishnan gets a little angry and disagrees with her. He believes Ammu is a good-hearted person. That's when the viewer is able to tell Ammu is really falling in love with Jayakrishnan. This is no joke anymore. Ammu, later tells Jayakrishnan to run away with her and meet her at a railroad station. Jayakrishnan agrees, not knowing that the girl is Ammu. Ashokan finds out and he believes that Jayakrishnan and Ammu are planning to run away together. In order to save Jayakrishnan's life, Ammu lies that it's not her. That Jayakrishnan is meeting another girl at the station. Ashokan lets Jayakrishnan go, but tells others to kill Jayakrishnan if a girl does not show up. Terrified, Ammu sends her friend, Sethulakshmi, to the station and tells her to tell Jayakrishnan that Ammu is the lover and she won't be able to make it to the station. Sethulakshmi, seeing Jayakrishnan, falls in love, and admits that she is the lover, not Ammu. Ammu calls her twice, but Sethulakshmi throws the cellphone out, trying to erase Ammu out of their love life completely. Years later, after Jayakrishnan and Sethulakshmi's marriage, she bore a son. Before her death, she leaves a diary for her son telling the whole story between the phone calls and his father and Ammu. The son later goes to Ammu's house with Jayakrishnan to visit Ashokan. Jayakrishnan is shocked Ammu isn't married. The son asks Ammu to become his mother and Jayakrishnan is shocked and angry at his son for saying something so blunt and rude. But Ashokan begs Jayakrishnan to take Ammu as his wife. So they go onto the train together but the son runs and throws the diary into a trashcan nearby. Jayakrishnan finds the diary and realizes that his real lover, the girl who's waited for him for so many years faithfully, was Ammu.

Review: Made in 1948, Bodyguard' is the first of several effective and taut noir B-thrillers made by Richard Fleischer at the start of his career.
While in the 50's Mann went on to direct a great series of Westerns with James Stewart such as Naked Spur' and then to the quality epic El Cid', Fleischer's later career was workman-like, entertaining, if generally unexceptional.Bodyguard' apparently exists in two version.
As the then unknown Robert Altman co-wrote the screen play, it would be interesting to see what has been excised.At the heat of the film is ex-homicide detective Mike Carter, played with stoney-eyed, rigid-backed conviction by Lawrence Tierney.
The plot is the old one of the hero framed by the real villains to throw the law off their scent, and of his attempts to clear his name while on the run.
Tierney (who also appeared in Reservoir Dogs' (1992) - no doubt chosen by Tarantino because of his minor noir-iconic status) had just appeared in one of the great films of the genre, Wise's Born to Kill/Lady of Deceit' (1947) when he was cast next in Bodyguard'.
As an actor he had the ability to project a dead calm, scowling brutalness - ideal for noir, a characteristic he showed beyond doubt as a superb Dillinger in the movie of the same name (1945).
In the present film he is a cop at the outset, but soon loses his job after fighting with his boss - in effect turning into a private detective.
Although he is hired as a `bodyguard', Carter's semi-official investigative powers, his struggle to clear his name after he is framed, as well as the pervading air of conspiracy and persecution place this clearly in noir territory.
Ultimately Carter ends up protecting his own body from the manhunt and killers, rather than that of his client.The noir style frequently brought out the best in directors of all abilities.
Fleischer's tough film is punctuated with some particularly effective scenes.
Mirrors have already played a part in the plot: earlier, with calm professionalism, Carter deduced why an assassin's bullet missed Gene Dyson.
Later in the plot, the near perfect sight of the murdered meat inspector is the fact upon which the case ultimately turns.
The equation of seeing' with comprehension' - a common conceit in noir - falls into place discreetly, without strain.The biggest weakness of the film is the relationship between Carter and his girlfriend.
When Carter rushes to her assistance at the end of the film (a setting reminiscent of the meat-packing plant robbery of Gun Crazy' filmed two years later) one feels she has served her only necessary purpose apart from lazily filling out his home life.
There are better films but the non-nonsense strengths of this production, as well as the pleasure of seeing Tierney playing a star role make it enjoyable..
A consensus seems to exist among commentators on Richard Fleischer's Bodyguard, based on a story by the young Robert Altman.
The consensus is that, as it stands, it fails to satisfy; the background to this verdict is that somewhere there is  or at least was  a longer cut of the picture that probably would have been, if not a little masterpiece of film noir, a less nettlesome movie.Feral Lawrence Tierney, a detective fired from the force for insubordination, gets offered the job of bodyguard to a old woman whose wealth comes from the meat-packing industry.
She reads the files onto 78s and delivers them to a record store where he listens to them in a booth.)  It turns out that his murdered superior investigated the death of a meat inspector at one of the plants owned by his employer....What remains of the movie is directed with pace and even some style by Richard Fleischer (The Narrow Margin,  Armored Car Robbery, The Boston Strangler; he showed a lot of sass in his early days, before he ossified into a hack.)  But what we lack compromises what we have.
The 13 minutes excised from the movie somewhere along the line no doubt patch up the holes in the leaky plot  like, who knew Tierney was off to the optometrist's office and set up the ambush?
What with the meat saws whining and the meat grinders rumbling, surely Fleischer did not conclude the story with the malefactor hurling an empty pistol, bootlessly, at Tierney  to be followed, almost instantly, with Tierney and Lane leaving on their honeymoon.
b&w noir programmer directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Lawrence Tierney.
Ex-policeman Mike Carter (Lawrence Tierney), trying to clear himself of a false murder charge, moves around L.A. quite vigorously in the course of his investigation, sometimes by car, sometimes by cab, and sometimes on foot, traveling to shops, offices, back alleys, factories, piers, and amusement arcades all over the city.
Carter needs the contents of a case file kept by the police officer whose murder he's been framed for.
He tells her over the phone to write down all the important cases handled by the officer in the past year and then go to an amusement arcade on 3rd Street, find a "Record Your Own Voice" booth and read all the cases into the microphone onto as many vinyl records (78 rpm) as needed, and then to leave the stack of records for him at the cashier's counter under an assumed name.
Carter's plan is to go to the arcade, give the assumed name, enter an available booth and listen to the records until he finds the case he's looking for.
There are wonderful little details of character and street life woven into the scene (and just about every scene in the movie).
It's just a brief moment but it not only adds to the suspense, but captures so much of the tenor of the time and place.The basic plot itself—corrupt industrialist covers up shady business practices via murder and convenient frame-ups—would get recycled ad infinitum on TV cop shows in the 1970s.
Lawrence Tierney as a Good Guy. This film is not about bodyguards.
It is based on a story co-authored by the 23 year-old Robert Altman, his first screen credit.
Dick Fleischer, just getting into his stride, here directs his first noir thriller, which was followed the next year by his brilliant 'The Clay Pigeon'.
This film is not brilliant, but it is good, and would have been better if many minutes had not been cut out of it.
Lawrence Tierney (no relation to Gene Tierney), who for years was a reliable tough guy, here plays a sympathetic cop who wants to get rough with the bad guys and is thrown off the Force, briefly taking on a bodyguard role (though that is just incidental), and becomes enmired in a frame-up and plenty of trouble.
His doting girl friend is played charmingly by Priscilla Lane, in her last film before retiring from the screen at the age of 33.
There is a lot of harrowing business in a meat-packing plant, with dangerous saws and hooks on all sides, people getting killed by them, etc.
Tough-talking mug Lawrence Tierney is the hero of this quick and dirty cheapy from 1948.
He plays a detective who's kicked off the force for being a hot head, and gets a job moonlighting as the bodyguard for an elderly lady (Elizabeth Risdon), matriarch and acting manager of a large and successful meat-packing company, whose life is being threatened for unknown reasons.
Of course it's not long before we and Tierney realize that he's been set up to be the fall guy for a crooked plot to swindle the company away from the old lady, and he helps crack the case with the help of his girl Friday Priscilla Lane."Bodyguard" is almost laughingly short and inconsequential, but it's an awful lot of fun.
There are some clever set pieces to distinguish the film, most notably a scene that takes place in an optometrist's office and that uses some clever lighting and framing.
And Tierney has a cute relationship with Lane, and it's refreshing to see a woman in a film like this take an active role in solving the crime rather than simply be someone the leading man has to rescue.Robert Altman (credited as Robert B.
Altman) wrote the story for this film at the ripe old age of 25.Far from a must see, but enjoyable if you can find it.Grade: B-.
BODYGUARD (Richard Fleischer, 1948) **1/2.
Up until a few weeks ago, I only knew cult 40s tough guy Lawrence Tierney from his role in Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS (1991); recently, however, I managed to watch his 2 vehicles released on DVD by Warners as part of their "Film Noir Collection Vol. 2", namely DILLINGER (1945) and BORN TO KILL (1947).
This Richard Fleischer film, then, would be my third from Tierney's short period of glory.Actually, the actor is the best thing about the whole movie - whose story, amazingly, was co-written by a very young Robert Altman!
- as it's certainly a minor noir, albeit an enjoyable one; indeed, Tierney's cynical, no-nonsense attitude (reminiscent of Bogart, Mitchum and Robert Ryan) provides a good deal of amusement throughout.
Still, the plot - a discredited cop uncovering corruption in a meat-packing company, when appointed to protect the elderly female proprietor - is nothing special and also kind of dreary; besides, the jovial personality of leading lady Priscilla Lane is as much unsuited to Tierney's hard-boiled façade as she is to the inherent bleakness of the genre!.
Minor cult 'B' film noir.
Slick,speedy 'B' thriller with on(and off!)screen tough guy Lawrence Tierney as a suspended cop eventually agreeing to do some work on the side as a bodyguard for a wealthy family.The plot is inevitably fairly routine,but there are some well-handled scenes,and it remains watchable.One fact not usually mentioned;this was the final screen appearance of Priscilla Lane(best known for her roles in WARNER BROS.
classics in the 30's,and Hitchcock's SABOTEUR);she was still far too young and surely had more years ahead as a screen actress.Her performance in her screen bow is OK,like Tierney and the rest of the cast.Director Richard Flesicher had better 'B' efforts up his sleeve though(THE NARROW MARGIN),a few years later..
Usually the most routine of programmers will have something to recommend it: inventive cinematography, creative use of lighting and/or sound, a gem of a performance by a virtual unknown, a clever plot.
Virtually every twist and turn of the contrived story had been used elsewhere, the characters with whom we would identify are undeveloped and unappealing, and leading man Lawrence Tierney, stoical to a fault, had surely received his training at the George Raft School of Acting.
Movies like this give B-pictures a bad name..
They sure don't make 'em like "Bodyguard" anymore.
No. They sure don't.This tough-as-nails, 1948, Crime/Thriller certainly packed a lot of story into its 62 minute running time.Containing some really priceless "tough-guy" dialog, "Bodyguard" has no-nonsense actor Lawrence Tierney playing Mike Carter, a real macho-man, L.A. police detective (with a hair-trigger temper) from the Homicide Squad.When Mike gets bounced off the force for brawling with his superior officer, who is later found dead, he becomes Suspect #1.Scrambling to clear his name, Carter soon finds himself up against a whole big mess of police corruption."Bodyguard", filmed in b&w, is a solid, fast-paced, little B-movie with striking direction from Richard Fleischer.Nope.
For what it is,this is a thoroughly enjoyable 40's detective flick.Mike Carter (Tierney),gets sacked for punching his superior in an office fracas and becomes tempted into protecting a rich,meat packing business woman from some unscrupulous characters.......oh and gets framed for the murder of his previous superior in the process.Assisting him is Doris Brewster (Lane),his girlfriend who still works in the police station he once frequented,and is able to provide Carter with valuable info from police files now out of his reach.At a runtime of just over an hour,a movie like this needs to have a cracking pace,and this movie doesn't disappoint.
It has all the action,intrigue,humour and suspense you could need,including some great one liners delivered by Tierney,all thanks to Richard Fleischer's direction.You really cannot go wrong with this one..
the pieces - a good guy in troubles, his girl friend, a wise old lady, the murderer.
Lawrence Tierney does a credible detective with usual ingredients of innocent in a dark world and virtues of perfect hero.
but a nice film has not need by originality.
Lawrence Tierney plays a homicide detective who gets kicked off the force for his bad temper.
He lands a bodyguard job, but soon finds himself framed for murder.
Although it's hardly a noir masterpiece, it's an enjoyable film that ranks among Fleischer's better efforts.
The script (by a young Robert Altman, of all people!) is tight and lean, with some fun bits of business.
It's nice to see Tierney in a role that allows him to stretch a little more than his usual "psychotic heavy" parts, and he has a lively chemistry with the adorable Priscilla Lane.
The whodunit aspect of the film isn't all that satisfying (you can guess who the bad guy is the moment you see him/her) but it's got some nice details and is sufficiently entertaining..
Fleischer would go on to direct much better movies, and in fact the excellent "Follow Me Quietly" is his next film.
Enjoyable performances from Tierney and Lane, and a short and well-photographed fight scene in a butchery near the end, don't make up for the mundane plot..
Because the formula of the movie required (and restricted) what the film would/could have in it.
This is a well made fast paced movie with flashes of effective style and some novel touches.
Like the following: The "boss" of the meat packing business, the character that requires a bodyguard, is an older woman for instance.
And the setting of a conspiracy at a meat packing plant is also kind of novel.
The set up with the angry cop getting tossed off the force has a nice pay off in the plot.
There are some effective shock moments in the film too though most of these are in the first half.But what's missing, and not "required" from a B picture in much real drama.
This doesn't become the existential nightmare for the lead bodyguard or the Kafkaesque descent of the outsider tosses into darkness that the great noirs sometimes achieve.
But what that this does is keep the film from having any real menace.
Never heard those rumors before the IMDb. Though the "remaining" movie doesn't feel like it's missing anything--other than a deeper script.
Classic Film Noir I love the one liners,the quality of acting is quite funny and mediocre, but, I like the plot, it has its good moments in it and the overall script is quite well written I think it could've'e been better by way of perhaps making the film longer and intensifying the plot a bit more, but none the less its still an entertaining film to watch.
overall bodyguard is a slow moving at times but overall well paced film the potential could be great for a remake but why touch a classic!
BODYGUARD is a taut little thriller directed by Richard Fleischer in the early years of his career.
At a trim 60 minutes, it packs in more plot than modern movies do in their two-hour running times.
I especially enjoyed Lawrence Tierney in an infrequent good guy role - here he's Mike Carter, a cop with a nasty temper who gets himself fired for slugging his commanding officer.
He's then approached to act as a bodyguard for an ageing widow who runs her late husband's meat-packing plant.
Though he's grim-jawed throughout, and doesn't display much sense of humour at all, never mind sardonic wit, the film's noir trappings have lead many to label this a noir picture.However, lacking a deadly female leading the hero into all kinds of trouble and with no typically gloomy noir ending, I can't put this movie in that pigeonhole.The heroine is the sunny and all-American Priscilla Lane in her last film.
She'd earlier made quite a splash as the fiancé of Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) in the madcap comedy ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, and here plays the faithful and supportive girlfriend of Tierney.There's not a lot to dislike about this film.
Carter doesn't have much personality, but he doesn't need it to solve the case.
Tough guy Lawrence Tierney portrays a disgruntled and dishonored cop who finds menial work as a bodyguard, and ends up wanted for murder!
Post war cynicism and big business apathy play a large role in getting this complex story off the ground with a psychological darkness that truly reflects the downward turn in society after a war that had briefly united the entire free world.
This tight, short film noir is one of those unique ones that is almost in a class by itself.
Priscilla Lane exits the sweetness of the four daughters as Tierney's girlfriend who finds herself in danger in her efforts to find the real killer.
For the money spent, this is a wonderful film--with good gritty acting and a dandy fast-paced Film Noir script.
Like many Noir films, the actors are generally not top-tier names and faces--and this is a plus, as this both heightens the realism and intensified the experience.
Lawrence Tierney plays a hot-headed cop who would rather beat a confession out of a perpetrator or search a home without a search warrant.
Tierney, though, is a smart guy and smells something fishy--the money is too good and there MUST be a catch!
So, in Noir fashion, he needs to avoid the cops AND prove his innocence.All this works so very well,...that is up until the end.
While his girlfriend, Lane, is fine in most of the film, at the end she stupidly goes to the hideout where the murders are hiding and is herself in great danger.
This "brain lapse" is pretty inconsistent with the rest of the film and seems more like a cliché than anything the characters really would have done.