The Big Steal

Plot synopsis:
U.S. Army lieutenant Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) is robbed of a $300,000 payroll by Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles). When Halliday's superior, Captain Vincent Blake (William Bendix), suspects him of having taken part in the theft, Halliday has no choice but to pursue Fiske into Mexico. Along the way, he runs into Joan Graham (Jane Greer), who is after the $2000 she loaned to her boyfriend, Fiske. The two join forces, though they are not sure at first if they can trust each other. Fiske stays one step ahead of the couple, while they are in turn chased by Blake. When Halliday is knocked down trying to stop Fiske from getting away, he comes to the attention of Police Inspector General Ortega (Ramon Novarro). Halliday claims to be Blake (using identification he took from the captain after a brawl.) Ortega lets him go after Fiske, but keeps an eye on him. His suspicions are confirmed when the real Blake shows up at his office for help.
Halliday and Graham track Fiske to an isolated house in the desert, where Fiske is meeting with Seton (John Qualen), a fence who offers Fiske $150,000 in untraceable bills in exchange for the payroll. The couple are captured by Seton's henchmen. When Blake shows up, Halliday is initially relieved to be rescued, until he learns that Blake is actually Fiske's partner in crime.
Fiske wants to take Graham with him, but Blake makes it clear that he intends to dispose of both her and Halliday. Fiske reluctantly gives in. However, when he starts to leave, Blake shoots him in the back, explaining that his ex-partner, apparently still at large, can take the blame for the missing payroll. Halliday then points out to Seton that if Blake gets rid of him too, he can give the stolen money back to the army and keep the $150,000 for himself. Taking no chances, Seton pulls a gun on Blake. When Graham creates a distraction, a fight breaks out, which Graham and Halliday win.

Tags: cult, humor

Review:
Mitchum is tough but has a good humour about him that sets up the rest of the film; he has judged it well and his easy charm gives him chemistry with Greer.
Bendix is tough and flustered in a good way while Knowles makes for quite a nice relaxed thief that sits well with the playing that the script requires him and the other characters to do.
As a team, Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer are pretty well-known, at least to classic film fans, for their pairing in "Out Of The Past," but I thought they were a lot more fun to watch in this particular film noir.This movie, still not available on tape or disc for some reason, is almost one long chase scene, with people in three vehicles all on the move....with a neat twist at the end.
Vincent Blake in "The Big Steal," who is chasing Duke Halliday (Mitchum) who is chasing Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) who is trying to keep a rendezvous with Hulius Seton (John Qualen), the fence for the stolen money.
Wonderful repartee between Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in this chase caper.
'The Big Steal' sees Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer team up again after their earlier Noir classic 'Out Of The Past', which is still one of the greatest Film Noirs ever made.
Forget about 'Out Of The Past' and just enjoy 'The Big Steal' for what it is, a thriller that is a great fun film..
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.
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.
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer co-star in this film about a wrongfully accused man being chased by the bad guy, while chasing the other bad guy.
Multiple chases, great interplay between Mitchum & Greer, and fast-paced direction by Siegel make this a fun little film that can be enjoyed more than once..
It stars Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix, Patric Knowles & Ramon Novarro.
More comedy crime caper than film noir stinger, The Big Steal is an enjoyable enough experience.
"The Big Steal" is sort of like a mini-version of "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," film noir style.Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) stole money from Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) and Joan Graham (Jane Greer).
Meanwhile, Vincent Blake (William Bendix), the intended original recipient of the cash, is chasing Halliday, thinking he's the one who actually stole it.
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).
Robert Mitchum reunites with his Out of the Past co-star, Jane Greer, as the two chase thief Patric Knowles through Mexico.
Lots of chasing about the Mexican towns and villages and a particularly effective multiple car chase that takes up a good part of the film's running time.
Jane Greer and Robert Mitchum make a delightful pair in this short and snappy B film, originally made to keep Mitchum from having to serve time for marijuana use.
If any of that happened today, every actress in Hollywood would want a crack at the role.In the beginning of the film, Mitchum knocks out a man named Blake (played by William Bendix) and steals his wallet.
The film is basically a car chase through Mexico, but there is lots of scenery, humor, and great chemistry between the leads.
Enter Captain Blake, played by William Bendix, chasing Halliday.
A swift plot with hair-raising foot and car chases, clumsy but fist-loud fight scenes and a sexual tension between the leads that sizzled - all on a pretty tight budget too.Knowles steals army money, Mitchum's accused and after him, while Bendix is after Mitchum, Greer is after Knowles and Novarro is after all of them.
The Big Steal is a most enjoyable, agreeable time-passer notable chiefly for the crackling exchanges between lead actors Robert Mitchum & Jane Greer.
Incidentally Jane gets the wittier lines but I was disappointed to hear her address a middle-aged Hispanic as `Boy' I was equally disappointed to see likeable laconic Mitchum obviously doubled in one of the many tame fist fights.Although these stars combined for the sublime film noir `Out of the Past' this can by no stretch be regarded as noir.
Robert Mitchum, & Jane Greer Make this a Classic Film !.
What it is though, is a road caper or even a buddy movie, with the twist being that the couple who are simultaneously chasing and being chased are indeed a couple, namely Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer.Set in Mexico, in happily realistic-looking exterior locations, the film is essentially one long car chase and as such, necessarily episodic as the flung-together twosome habitually get out of one scrape only to fall into another.
There's some agreeable grown-up humour between the two, plenty of good fight scenes, where you actually see the protagonists sweat and bleed, an early example of an extended car chase and a decent twist at the end; as you can tell, it certainly packs a lot into its brief 71 minute running time.Mitchum and Greer are great together, William Bendix offers his usual solid support and the young Don Siegel directs with verve and energy.
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.
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer (together again following "Out of the Past") lead a strong cast featuring William Bendix, and Ramon Navarro.
The chase down the mountain pass is a neatly done hair-raiser, along with the race against time through the road repair-- I like the romantic trick Greer uses to get her and Mitchum through.
Robert Mitchum does his usual thing and heroically swaggers through the movie, fleeing from villains and exchanging clever banter with co-star Jane Greer, who is also caught up in the caper.The plot has many holes due to censorship but the basic scenario is that Greer's slimy ex-fiancé, played by Patrick Knowles, has stolen army money and is on the run.
He is pursued by Mitchum and Greer, who are themselves pursued by William Bendix who delivers a scintillating performance as a crooked army captain.The film is shot on location in Mexico and mostly consists of fast paced chase scenes through the streets and countryside in a mad dash to get to the money first.
Vincent Blake(William Bendix),In order to clear his name Halliday goes on the run in pursuit of the guilty party, one Jim Fiske(Patric Knowles) who has fled south of the border.
The Big Steal is the film that propelled Siegel into the public's gaze as a top action director, the film is one long car chase but don't be fooled that it is only that, it has some of the wittiest and most memorable dialogue ever to grace the screen, Mitchum and Greer have a sparkling chemistry and all their scenes are truly memorable, lets not forget that this is an RKO production and so the film doesn't make complete sense(but who cares) its still a highly enjoyable entertainment all the same.Film Noir Lite so to speak.Look out too for an excellent performance by Ramon Novarro as the Mexican police chief..
Patric Knowles discards Will Scarlet's camp threads for the caddish tropical white suit of a womanising embezzling bounder hotly pursued by Mitchum and Greer, in turn being chased by William Bendix at his lisping homicidal craziest.
Robert Mitchum (Duke Halliday) is chasing Patric Knowles (Fiske) who stole an army payroll of $300,000.00 from him.
In turn, William Bendix (Captain Blake) is hot on the heels of Mitchum whom he believes has taken off with the money himself.
Mitchum was arrested in a drugs bust and spent some time in jail during this film and so it's understandable that he wants to get his hands back on the loot so that he can make a nice investment in some Mexican marijuana.The version that I watched was, alarmingly, a colourized version.
Teaming up with the robbers ex-girlfriend (Greer), Mitchum closes in on the robber, but so does Bendix.A fast paced chase film with Mexican location which gives the film a nice look.
As opposed to the finely crafted noir that Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer starred in two years before, Out of the Past, The Big Steal sort of has that slapdash quality about it.
But the stars are enjoyable.Patric Knowles steals an army payroll that Captain Mitchum is blamed for.
Both combine to chase Knowles and Mitchum steals William Bendix's credentials as an army cop who's been trailing Mitchum.
For most of the film they're all in cars driving across Mexico, Knowles being chased by Mitchum/Greer and them being chased by Bendix.
Just a fun fast-moving film, dominated by the reluctant developing romantic duo of sardonic Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, but with a fine supporting cast, headed by William Bendix and Patric Knowles.
What does become apparent fairly soon is that 1)Mitchum is chasing Patric Knowles, 2)Jane Greer is also chasing after Knowles for a different reason, 3)Mitchum and Greer are going to join forces, and 4)Bendix is coming along furiously bringing up the rear.It's a neatly-contrived plot, with performances that are just dandy from these four stars.
Ramon Navarro is delightful in a supporting role as a Mexican inspector general who enjoys his encounters with these volatile Americans as they give him excellent opportunities to practice his English.Mitchum and Greer look good together as they go through the usual process of getting in each other's way before realizing they can do better together.
Don Siegel directed this film noir set in Mexico, where Army Lt. Duke Halliday(played by Robert Mitchum) is a fugitive, falsely accused of theft, and in determined pursuit of the real thief.
Still, an appealing and interesting film with effective twists and turns, and a nice re-teaming of Mitchum and Greer(from "Out Of The Past").
Here's a crime caper not as dark as OUT OF THE PAST, but again giving the starring leads to ROBERT MITCHUM and JANE GREER, both of whom are adept at delivering the crackling dialog with ease.Indeed, if it weren't for the chemistry between Mitchum and Greer, there's not that much more to the thin storyline that has both of them on the run from a determined police captain (WILLIAM BENDIX) who chases them all over Mexican highways and dirt roads while they keep one step ahead of the law.There are few surprises, except for a nice twist toward the end.
PATRIC KNOWLES is excellent as the film-flam man with a yen for Greer who realizes he's a no good heel.But make no mistake about it, it's one of ROBERT MITCHUM's most confident, easy performances as the man wrongly accused of stealing a huge amount of money from the government, who must prove his innocence.He and JANE GREER handle their dialog with professional ease and their chemistry is sizzling.Summing up: Highly enjoyable romp is too light to be called film noir but it comes close..
The big steal stars robert mitchum and jane greer, who also played in out of the past in 47, but you probably already knew that.
Also, this was the time that star Robert Mitchum was in trouble with the law over marijuana possession and he actually had to serve jail time during the filming.Anyway, the picture is essentially a chase film that takes place in Mexico.
Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles is on the run from both ex-girlfriend Joan Graham (Jane Greer) and Duke Halliday (Mitchum).
Each party eludes the other until the final confrontation of the parties.Mitchum and Greer had appeared in the classic "film noire", "Out of the Past" in 1947, so I for one was looking forward to their re-teaming.
The man and woman fall in love towards the end and this movie has a good climax.The excellent cast includes Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer (reunited from Out of the Past), William Bendix and Patrick Knowles.The Big Steal is a very gripping movie.
The high speed action that follows is utterly breathtaking and exhilarating to watch but is also made more enjoyable by the scintillating dialogue and some amusing plot twists.After having had the misfortune to be robbed of payroll cash amounting to $300,000 whilst he was carrying out his routine duties, U.S. Army Lieutenant Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) is suspected of being the thief's accomplice and in order to prove his innocence, sets off to Mexico to hunt down Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) and bring him to justice.In Vera Cruz, Halliday, who's being pursued by his senior officer Captain Vincent Blake (William Bendix) meets up with Joan Graham (Jane Greer) who turns out to be Fiske's fiancée.
Complications arise, however, when Blake arrives on the scene and further surprise developments follow.Considering that this movie was co-written by Daniel Mainwaring (aka Geoffrey Homes) and stars Mitchum and Greer who all previously collaborated in the making of "Out Of The Past", it's remarkable just how different the two movies are as "The Big Steal" is very bright and breezy whereas the earlier film's atmosphere is significantly darker.Mitchum and Greer work brilliantly together and the entire cast turn in good performances.
Here's the deal on the steal: Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) stole a bundle of military payroll money and pinned it on Lieutenant Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum).
This south of the border road movie is rocky in patches, but it works as well as it does because of the chemistry between Greer and Mitchum and the bickering between Joan and Duke.
Nevertheless, this is a hugely entertaining b-movie (surprised no one else has mentioned the short running time that confers B status) with some terrific performers at their best under the sure hand of a talented director.Mitchum and Greer are appealing leads, with sterling support from William Bendix (a great favourite of mine) and Ramon Novarro as the crafty Mexican policeman.
The primary characters are played by 2 actors with a lot of personality, Jane Greer and Robert Mitchum (re-teamed from Jacques Tourneur's "Out of the Past"), and the film demands little but personality from them.
The story is a lark -- a caper set south of the border with Michum and Greer chasing after Patric Knowles, whose character stole money from them.
"Out of the Past" leads Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer team up again in director Don Siegel's fast-paced, lightweight, romantic crime thriller "The Big Steal." Although "Crime by Night" scribe Daniel Mainwaring and "Dead Reckoning" writer Gerald Drayson Adams have penned a fairly conventional actioneer, the narrative exposes one vast difference between Americans and Mexicans.
Siegel appears to have accelerated the film so that Halliday's elbow blow against the unsuspecting Blake stuns the captain.This nifty but notorious little B-picture went into production about the same time that Robert Mitchum was arrested for smoking marihuana.
"The Big Steal", pairing Robert Mitchum with Jane Greer again, the couple from "Out of the Past." It sounds profoundly noir.
Given that 'The Big Steal (1949)' was the only film to reunite Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer after 'Out of the Past (1947),' one could be forgiven for expecting a dark, seedy film noir thriller.
Jane Greer is far from her vicious femme fatale of 'Out of the Past,' but nor is she relegated to the role of the vulnerable damsel; Joan Graham is shown to be smart, resourceful and independent, able to talk herself out of trouble and even hold her own in a high-speed car chase along a winding mountain road.What I found most refreshing about 'The Big Steal' was its relative forwardness about sex, an oddity given the strictness of the Production Code at the time.
Snappy dialog between Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) and Joan Graham (Jane Greer) heats up the chemistry between this pair of screen partners, while Patric Knowles and William Bendix portray less than savory characters in this noir-like romp through the Mexican countryside.
The film is about an army man (Robert Mitchum) who is accused of stealing money.
The film was made a couple of years after Mitchum and Greer united in Out of the Past (1947).
Unlike the tragic Out of the Past, The Big Steal is a fun film that offers some beautiful visuals of and car chases set in the Mexican countryside.
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, who were in "Out of the Past" together, reunite for this tale about chasing Patric Knowles, who has stolen money from the U.S. government.
After the intrigue and nastiness of the film noir classic "Out of the Past", Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer got much lighter fare.
On a superficial level it's merely a pursuit race south of the border with Mitchum and Greer chasing Patrick Knowles, Bendix chasing all three and silent star Ramon Navarro watching from the sidelines.