Traficantes da Morte

Federal agents risking mortal danger to infiltrate criminal syndicates supply one of the basic templates for film noir. The crooks can variously be counterfeiters (as in T-Men) or traffickers in illegal laborers (as in Border Incident) or, here in Johnny Stool Pigeon, heroin smugglers.

Those first two films were by the resourceful Anthony Mann; Johnny Stool Pigeon is by William Castle, no Mann but later to become the king of cheapie horror flicks after an apprenticeship in noir (his When Strangers Marry may be the best of his juvenilia).

It's a creditable if not especially memorable effort, thanks mostly to a cast headed by Dan Duryea, Howard Duff, Shelly Winters (in her sexpot phase) and, in a non-speaking part, young Tony Curtis (here billed as "Anthony," a better billing than he got in the same year's Criss Cross, where his manic rhumba with Yvonne De Carlo went uncredited).

Narcotics cop Duff knows his only chance to crack an international drug ring is by springing a convict (Duryea) whom he'd help put in Alcatraz. The oil-and-water team of unwilling partners travels from San Francisco first to Vancouver then, gang moll Winters in tow, to a dude ranch near Tucson run by the mob.

The plot's volatility depends on the possibility of Duff's being sold out by Duryea or recognized by Curtis, who spends half the movie knitting his brows in an effort to remember where he'd seen Duff before. Reckoning finally comes at a dangerous drug buy at the Nogales border crossing.

As a straight arrow, Duff's not bad, though in more ambivalent roles in movies like Shakedown or The Naked City, he can turn into a slithery chameleon. The reliable Duryea does his soured cynic number -- he had it down pat by now. Winters adds a dash of hot sauce, but it's a sketched-in part at best. Johnny Stool Pigeon adds up to a pretty routine hour-and-a-quarter of noir -- but that's far from faint praise.

A narcotics agent helped by an ex-con and a blonde floozie goes undercover to nab a criminal gang.

The routine story is boosted by a good cast and some nice production touches. That opening shootout grabs us right away, along with the moody location shots of San Francisco, and later, in and around Tucson. The film was made at a time when movies were hitting the streets instead of the sound stages, so it's a good chance to catch styles and relics, circa 1949.

Surprise, surprise, veteran bad guy Duryea actually gets a semi-sympathetic role and only has to snarl once. And catch the unforgettable Shelley Winters, just starting her whiny isn't-she- cheap act. Between them, they lend real color to the production, along with a sneakily jovial John McIntire as the dude ranch host.

Some film buffs may not be aware of director William Castle's career before becoming a notorious schlockmeister with gimmicky teenage films like 13 Ghosts (1960) or The Tingler (1960). But he had a very respectable career at RKO with the brilliantly offbeat The Whistler series of the late '40's before coming over to Universal for this crime drama.

There're a number of good touches here. Catch a young Tony Curtis as the mute hit-man, a role made all the more effective by his pretty-boy good looks. Also, what a great way to heighten suspense by handing off that life-or-death message to a possibly non-English speaker, or by filming the climactic scene at an actual border-crossing with its rows of backed-up cars.

No, a programmer like this won't win any awards, but it's another example of how energetic movie-making was during its studio period.

Enjoyable minor film noir with a good cast, tough dialog, and interesting locations. Dan Duryea and Tony Curtis (in a non-speaking role) would appear the same year in CRISS CROSS, while John McEntire and Barry Kelley would be in THE ASPHALT JUNGLE the following year. Also in the cast Shelley Winters and Howard Duff.

This is a frequently used plot of a government agent or policeman secretly infiltrating a criminal organization and it works very well with Duff and especially Duryea, playing the leads. Winters is a sympathetic call-girl and McEntire is great as a duplicitous character. The day-for-night locations in Mexico (or a stand-in for it) are dramatically shot with overhanging clouds and trees that seem to glow in the shadows. William Castle directs and he's at his best. Not a major noir by any means, but a fine film that deserves to be restored.

Howard Duff (Morton) goes undercover to bust a drug gang. However, he needs the help of his former friend Dan Duryea (Johnny Evans) who he has condemned to a life in prison. The two men do not get on with each other. Duryea helps Morton get a new identity and they then have to work as a team to infiltrate a powerful gang of heroin dealers. They make the necessary contacts but they are treated with suspicion, especially by luxury ranch owner John McIntire (Nick Avery). Can they keep their word to each other and stick together?

This is a quick moving film that also stars a young Tony Curtis as a mute bodyguard/hit-man. All the cast do well with Dan Duryea being especially likable as a criminal who doesn't like cops. I have to admire his underhand ways as demonstrated when Duff doesn't allow him to go to the bar to meet Shelley Winters (Terry). Duryea takes advantage of a visit by McIntire to pick up his jacket and let Duff know that he's going to the bar by just walking out of the room leaving Duff powerless to do or say anything infront of a guest. We then see him sitting with Winters and enjoying himself. Good for him – nice move, Duryea! He plays by his own rules and keeps the viewer guessing as to whether or not he is going to betray Duff.

It's filmed on location in San Francisco and Arizona and has an ending that had me cheering!

The movie starts off like a police procedural of the period, but twists into something quite different and intense. Howard Duff is a cop and Dan Duryea is a criminal who infiltrate a drug mob. Both are top notch actors who keep us guessing as to what they're really thinking. Shelley Winters is sexy as the girl who flirts with both in order to escape from her life as a gangster moll. Hanging around on the edges of the film is Anthony (Tony) Curtis. He is quite chilling portraying a cruel thug without saying a word. This was the 24 year-old Bernard Schwartz's third film, but the first one where he is really generating interest. William Castle is known as a director of gimmicky films, but he has some surprisingly effective horror films, "The House on Haunted Hill," and "the Tingler" to his credit. This movie is also surprisingly effective.