Time Table

This is a neat, no-frills thriller about an intricately planned train heist, the turbulent insurance investigator assigned to the case, and his hard-nosed boss whose motto is "There's no such thing as a perfect crime." Filmed in the flat, greyish TV style of the 50s with occasional expressionist touches, it is rife with plot twists and intriguing characters, and features a supporting cast of familiar faces (Alan Reed, Jack Klugman, etc). It should appeal to those who prefer story over stylishness. Tough-guy Stevens starred in several top-notch noirs of the 40s, and directed a couple of good second-feature thrillers in the 50s, including Cry Vengeance.

It's remarkable how many actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood began or ended their careers making crime pictures ( or horror movies). Mark Stevens is a case in point. He began promisingly enough with the stylish noir The Dark Corner in 1946 and basically ended it with Timetable ten years later. Was he a classic Marlowesque private eye in the first one, in Timetable the rigors of maintaining a Hollywood career have visibly and morally taken their toll. Directed by Stevens himself, all the glamour of the classic noir is drained from both the look of the film as from the protagonists. Stevens has the look of a man who has seen too much and has basically given up hope that his life will change for the better. Even his last desperate attempt to turn his life around seems doomed from the start. Which is not helped by the strict moral code of the day that is constantly underlined, namely that Crime Doesn't Pay. The plot is a little convoluted, but then that's not what we watch these movies for. Stylistically it has little going for it,and small effort was made to avoid a stage-bound look. But the performances are adequate enough and especially Stevens is totally convincing as the world-weary protagonist. For noir fans this one is certainly worth a look.

The Quick Pitch: $500,000 in cash is stolen from a train's baggage car.

Not a lot to say other than that this is a good one. My little plot summary may be shorter than usual, but I don't want to spoil anything. Time Table has a couple of plot twists that are about as good as any I've seen. The first comes early on in the film. While I may have had an inkling of what was about to happen, I still enjoyed watching the events unfold. But the second twist caught me by complete surprise. What fun!

Time Table is one of those films that proves you can (or at least you could in 1956) make a quality little movie without breaking the bank. Given budgetary constraints, director Mark Stevens created a tense, atmospheric crime/noir/thriller that moves at a brisk pace and is entertaining throughout. Not only does Stevens direct, but he also stars in Time Table. His performance is just as solid as his direction. The mostly no-name supporting cast is equal to the challenge. I'm sure I could pick a few things to complain about, but why bother when a movie is this enjoyable.

7/10

You would think that by 1956 nobody could breathe new life into a train robbery tale. But in this film there are two major surprising twists, one near the beginning and then one smack in the middle.

Because half a million was taken in the robbery, a crack insurance investigator has his vacation to Mexico postponed to solve this crime. He is paired up with a bulldog of a railroad detective. Very shortly the pair determine that this crime was meticulously planned. But because it is obvious the crooks were working by a "time table" (thus the title), the railroad investigator says that is their weak link. Find a place where they couldn't make their time table, and the case should be something that can be cracked.

This is somewhat like a film noir and somewhat like a crime drama - a bit half and half. The interesting theme here is that of a normal middle class person turning to crime not because of one small bad decision snowballing or some life event causing a desperate need for money beyond their means, but because of living a life of "quiet desperation". Maybe this film is not remembered so much because that theme has become quite common in the decades that have passed. But in the "I Like Ike" 1950s, the idea of somebody not being happy with a chicken in their pot and their suburban tract home was almost blasphemy.

I'd highly recommend it. I haven't given too many details because to say much at all would spoil it for you.

A funny coincidence - Actor Raymond Bailey as the insurance company executive, calmly stating that if the crime cannot be solved and the loot recovered, then the company may have to pay out half a million. Bailey played skinflint banker Milburn Drysdale during the 1960s in the Beverly Hillbillies, and THAT character would have had a heart attack over losing such a sum!

Gang executes intricate train robbery, putting two insurance investigators on their trail, with a major twist.

At about the time Kubrick was making a reputation with his heist film The Killing (1956), Mark Stevens put together this little gem. Unlike Kubrick's classic, this caper film doesn't rise to semi-artistic heights, but it is tight, tough, and well-acted, with some nice touches. For example, there're the surly baggage handler and the brusque airplane mechanic, both colorful bits that could have easily remained routine.

Aben Kandel's script is carefully plotted, dribbling out pieces of information that keep us glued to developments-- plus that great opening hook with its careful staging. But what I especially like is his and Stevens' attention to jilted wife Ruth (Stewart). It would have been so easy to shove this plain-faced woman aside as Stevens cavorts with the lovely Linda (Farr). Instead they play up her heartbreak as this drably devoted wife watches the collapse of everything she holds dear. In my book, it's a sensitive dimension that helps lift this 80- minutes beyond the simply well-crafted.

In addition to Stewart's fine performance is King Calder's (Armstong). His humorless, Bassett hound face is perfect for the dogged investigator who knows the importance of visualizing and goes where the evidence takes him, regardless. Look too for Jack Klugman (Frankie) in one of his earliest film roles.

Judging from Stevens' list of credits (IMDB), he's one of those contract players trying his best after the break up of the old studio system and the decline of the B-movie. Whatever his later misfortunes (Gunsight Ridge {1957}; Gun Fever {1958})-- he and Kandel team up to score solidly with this overlooked little caper gem.