Evening star., 1951-03-02

n, d warner Die
Martin Rackin. At the Ambassador ant
Warner,
Big Babe" LaSich- Zero Moste
xiSert isePh Mendosa Men EVerett Re sioan' sSssa'
Capt. Frank Nelson Roy Roberts
SInIt Duke' ut;s, Tiano -LsyrenSe TolaI
Teresa Davis Pat Joine,
Thomas o'Hara-------------Do Beddet
Vince Vince 'o--J John i'P Reliogt EISst
Zaca Jack Lamber
Olga Kirshen ------------Adelaide Kleir
louis & TodsaT 1The Rarberl nsan Mssio si1et3 Sa59
Humphrey Bogart's job in "The
Enforcer" at the Warner is to run
tc earth a rich and ruthless syn
cicate which commits murder on
order.
This. as any one can see, is
work of more than average drama
and Bogart obviously is just the
fellow for it. The spectacle OF
, him using his wits as a prosecut-
ing attorney is one that should
please a public that may well have
wearied of the sight of him using
his fists as member of the
criminals team.
The corpse-strewn murder trail
followed in "The Enforcer" bears
more than a faint resemblance to
that of Murder, Inc, a big and
deadly business which f1ourished
in Brooklyn not many years ago
Before 1t comes to an end, movie
5 goers get a chilling revelation OF
what really deep and deadly
Thought has gone into crime in
America.
If the film sometimes becomes
fuzzy and confused this is only
because In their efforts to foil the
police. the syndicate's leaders were
diabolically clever in their opera
tions. Bretaigne Windust, who
directed, 1.-THE Enforcer," tries to
keep things clear and humming
along according to screen formula
but the story sometimes seems to
take HIM in hand.
X X X y
1.-The Enforcer" opens with the
arrest of a lieutenant of the mur-
der ring which leads Prosecutor
Bogart to think that he finally
can "fry'' the leader of the killer
gang. This man is his single hope
and that vanishes when the wit
ness. berserk with fear of his ex-
boss, leaps to his death from the
prosecutors Office.
This mishap leaves the district
attorney seven hours in which to
rebuild case which has collapsed
after months of police and legal
work. In real life, it probably
could not be done, but in the
movies, with Bogart in command,
1t is brought off in "The En-
forcer."
just like Murder, Inc, this gang
operates on the theory that mur-
der should be a cold -blooded pro-
fessional work. Such a killer has
nc motive. He is assigned a VIC
tim whose name he may not even
know. He collects his pay, plus
a bonus. and awaits his next as
signment while the police go batty
looking for motive clues.
It takes f1ashbacks within
f1ashbacks within f1ashbacks to
tell how things went in the case
being prosecuted in "The En-
forcer." This occasionally gives
the spectator the feeling that he
has been hopelessly lost in the
maze. Usually, however, his
interest is recaptured in time to
put him back on the trail with
remorseless Bogart and his faith
full aides.
AS the fog lifts from time to
time in this pursuit, it becomes
apparent that the weakness OF
the murder syndicate set-up is
in the selection of its field per-
sonnel. Even the most promising
killers are likely to develop a
distaste for anonymous murder
This, indeed, is what happens
when one of the handsome youne
Held workers commits the blundel
OF falling in love with the girl he's
assigned to kill.
He goes through with the as.
signment, all right, but his re-
morse unhinges him enough thai
he eventually cries on the shoul.
der OF the nearest police desl
sergeant. From this point on
Bogart closes in.
Windust's direction of "The En-.
forcer" is never guilty of lettins
the camera wander too far from
the figure of Bogart. He is near.
ly always right there in focus
stalking his clever and elusive
prey through labyrinth thai
would make lesser man throw ur
his hands.
To the stars credit, he get.
an expert color of excitement into
his work and he is aided by some
of Warmers ADLER criminal talent
Zero Mostel, Red De Corsia
Everett Sloane and Lawrence
Tolan.
Their fight through the streets
and alleys of large city anc
the adjacent swamps which con.
stitute the gangs well-f1lled GENE.
terry is fairly arresting spectacle
African Tin Pan Alley
Through arrangements will
American publishing firms
South Africa plans to have its
own Tin Pan Alley" with Afri-
can song-writers' music beins
published in New York.
ANNVICENEENYTC