Union Station

"Union Station" is a realistic 1950 film starring William Holden, Nancy Olson, Jan Sterling and Barry Fitzgerald. It was released after "Sunset Boulevard" so by the time it came out, Holden had actually moved up another level of stardom. Rudolph Mate directed the film in a quasi-documentary way, showing all levels of an attempt to rescue a kidnapped blind girl (Allene Roberts), the daughter of Olson's wealthy boss. Holden plays the detective in charge of Union Station, and he doesn't like the idea of anybody messing with his turf.

There are some very exciting scenes, particularly the one on the train, which as someone mentioned, very likely inspired "The French Connection." Holden gives a strong, macho performance, which makes the scene where he visits Olson in her home extra delightful, as he becomes embarrassed when her mother fusses over him. It's amazing that after Golden Boy, he toiled in so many films beneath his ability. Jan Sterling is the gangster's girlfriend with a heart - it's a small but showy and sympathetic role. Lyle Bettger is the villain, and he's slime all the way through. The only problem with the film is the kidnap victim herself, Lorna, who screams non-stop. I'm surprised her father wanted her back, but you know how it is with parents.

Really holds your interest. What a hunk Holden is. Highly recommended.

Obviously modeled on Jules Dassin's superior THE NAKED CITY (1948) – co-starring Barry Fitzgerald, meticulous police procedural, filmed on actual locations – this film can certainly stand on its own two feet, being a tight and neatly-handled little thriller with plenty of action and suspense. Especially effective is a game of cat-and-mouse on a train between criminal and cop, which must have influenced THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)!

While it doesn't quite have the scope of the earlier classic, the film nonetheless makes the most of its situations (revolving around a race-against-the-clock to save a kidnapped blind girl) and settings (the majority of the action taking place, naturally, inside the titular location – with the tunnels underneath the station itself providing the backdrop for the climax, and which may well have been inspired by ending of THE THIRD MAN [1949]).

Fitzgerald is once again excellent though, here, he rather plays second-fiddle to the nominal stars – this being a Paramount film, it couldn't but be contract players (William Holden and Nancy Olson in the second of their four teamings). Lyle Bettger is appropriately menacing as the sly chief kidnapper, while Jan Sterling appears as his soft-hearted girlfriend (who suffers the consequences for demonstrating compassion towards her charge).

I remember this film shown once on TV. Yes, the story plotline is good and the characters are entertaining, but the REAL star of the movie is the incredible historical Union Station itself. The movie moves throughout portions of the building never before seen by the general public and reveals the enormous scope of Union Station. As a little girl I and family traveled often by train. I remember the beauty of the place, the hustle and bustle of a station which was the base for the only comfortable way to travel by land at that time.Union Station itself compares in size and beauty to any other in the country.This movie was shot during the last hey-days of the railroad passenger trains and I earnestly wish it could be brought back to video.

This film is really very good and full of suspense. A woman on a train notices strange behaviour from two men who have just boarded her train and the fact that one has a gun under his coat makes her decide to report to the train conductor. There follows a cliff-hanger of a movie involving a young, blind girl who has been kidnapped and will surely be killed by the psychotic kidnapper (Lyle Bettger) if she is not gotten to on time. There is only one jarring note - I don't think I am alone in wanting to strangle the blind girl every time she appears in the film. The director decided that she should shriek, scream and do a nails-scrapping-down-the-blackboard routine at every possible moment. This film merits more than the 7 I gave it for those who can overlook this irritating performance. Worth watching - you may want to keep the remote handy so that you can easily access the mute button.

UNION STATION is a briskly paced thriller laced with enough suspense to keep the viewer intrigued until the final shootout in a tunnel below the station where badman (LYLE BETTGER) must be tracked down by hard-boiled detective (WILLIAM HOLDEN) so that a blind girl (ALLENE ROBERTS) can be returned safely to her father. Bettger has arranged a ransom for the girl to the tune of $100,000 and is determined to keep a grip on the suitcase containing the ransom money.

NANCY OLSON is the woman on the train who first notices that one of the men has come aboard with a gun and she immediately becomes suspicious enough to report this to the authorities. Lead detective Holden takes charge and he and Olson gradually develop a relationship of trust that leads to the finale where she's tending to his wounded shoulder, while LAPD man (BARRY FITZGERALD) looks on approvingly, sensing love in bloom.

It's directed in almost documentary style with a "Naked City" sort of realism. Holden and the police handle their suspects with realistically rough tactics which further heightens the tense realism of the story. JAN STERLING has a small role as a gun moll (what else?), who lets the police know that Bettger intends to kill the girl once he gets the ransom.

LYLE BETTGER is superb as the snarling villain, easily stealing many of the scenes with his brutally menacing tough guy role. No wonder he played this sort of man in so many films afterwards.

Well worth watching, nice work by Holden and Olson, with faint criticism for Barry Fitzgerald for mumbling much of his heavily accented dialog with that Irish brogue. The only other criticism is that the director allows ALLENE ROBERTS to scream too much, which becomes tiresome and makes Bettger come up with the crack, after slapping her: "For this, he's willing to put up $100,000."