Homem Contra o Perigo

When vicious killer Arnold Kluger (Charles McGraw) and his pals escape from Folsom Prison, they go after the detective (Michael O'Shea) and the DA (Frank Conroy) who put Kluger in prison in the fist place.

The two, plus a woman Kluger thinks ratted him out are holed up with the men in a desert shack where Kluger and his pals are to be picked up by another confederate, Anthony.

Michael O'Shea plays a police officer who, with is wife, is awaiting the birth of their child. He's not supposed to be out on the street but to his wife's chagrin, he runs out when he learns of Kluger's escape, only to be captured by him. At first, Kluger makes him call in as if all is well.

Virginia Grey is the woman Kluger thinks betrayed her, and she spends most of the movie screaming and crying to let her leave. Meanwhile the officer and DA are tied up in the next room after being taken to this out of the way cabin. Not looking good.

Charles McGraw is dynamite in this film, incredibly mean, without one drop of human kindness. As someone on the board pointed out, people like this exist, making the story scarier. He's absolutely frightening because he's capable of anything.

If you're a baby boomer, you'll recognize the voice of Inspector Henderson from Superman right away, Robert Shayne as Police Inspector Murphy. The man worked into his nineties but is probably best remembered as Henderson. The film was made in 1949, and most if not all of these actors wound up in television.

Michael O'Shea was always likable, and he's no different here, playing a police detective who keeps his cool. Married to Virginia Mayo, the two did a lot of theater together, and after he retired he became a plainclothes CIA operative.

Virginia Grey was a good actress and a lovely one, though this role called for her to be hysterical a good part of the time.

This is a short film that packs a wallop - a real wallop. Very hard- hitting.

The Threat is directed by Felix E. Feist and written by Dick Irving Hyland and Hugh King. It stars Charles McGraw, Virginia Grey, Michael O'Shea, Julie Bishop. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography by Harry J. Wild.

Maniac criminal Red Kluger escapes from jail and sets off to kidnap the three people he holds responsible for his incarceration.

Compact at just over an hour in run time, The Threat is all about Charles McGraw impressing on everyone just what a great portrayer of hard cases he would become. Once the escape and set up of plot has been formed, pic basically confines itself to one cramped location as Kluger and his two henchmen hold four people hostage at their hideout, the fourth person being an unfortunate truck driver who has got in the way. The air of menace is palpable, the atmosphere hot and sweaty, and via torture, violence and mind games it builds to tough old climax, having got there without fuss or filler.

Nothing memorable visually, and some of the screenplay involves characters doing daft things, but it's a gritty "B" noir well worth taking a look at. Especially for McGraw's performance. 7/10

It took about 10 minutes for me to get into the story, because I didn't recognize any of the actors at first and I wasn't sure who I was supposed to identify with; but this turned out to be a typically tough and snappy little crime caper (65 minutes long) from director Felix Feist.

Feist really knew how to use his small budgets wisely. He creates a tension-filled atmosphere, keeps things moving at a crisp pace, deftly establishes and stokes conflicts, and can usually be counted on for one "bravura" piece of camerawork in every film (here, it takes place at the climax in the desert shack). He was just a very sound and capable filmmaker.

What also seemed to stand out about his work was how single-mindedly sadistic and downright mean his bad guys were. Here, Charles McGraw plays an escaped convict whose thirst for revenge against the detective and D.A. who put him away, really fuels the film and keeps it on track. McGraw emerges as very controlled, coiled and menacingly methodical. It's a good part and a very fine performance - the guy just doesn't give an inch and you find yourself having to respect that.

Generally, when low budget crime movies fail it's because the bad guy is stupid or lets his guard down at a crucial moment - none of that here. McGraw is going out on a limb with his plan and he knows sooner or later that limb is probably going to snap, but the way he figures it it's well worth the risk.

In my opinion, Charles McGraw is probably the best and best known actor of the post war / film noir genre. Sometimes he was one of the good guys, and sometimes one of the bad. In "The Threat", he's the baddest. Michael O'Shea and Virginia Grey get top billing, but compared to McGraw they're hardly even in the film at all. McGraw is clearly the star of this movie, and he's absolutely terrific as a no nonsense, cold blooded killer. Those piercing eyes of his go right through you. Just about as scary a movie criminal as there ever was. Scary because criminals like this actually do exist, and a great little film like this brings the audience enough into the movie that you can't help but think "what if I were kidnapped by a homicidal lunatic like this?" At 65 minutes, "The Threat" is a very tight film noir type crime drama filled with tension, and Charles McGraw is the center of picture. Great film and a great under rated actor with Charles McGraw. I've been a fan of his for years, and thanks to a recent run on TCM, I finally got to see what has to be his best starring role.

Charles McGraw was one of the all-time best at playing tough guy roles in Hollywood. He was never anything but totally convincing in those roles, either. It has to be his distinctive gravel voice, along with his manly facial features and mannerisms, but also the fact he seemed to always play these kind of characters. All of this stamped him as a rough thug, no matter what side of the law he was on and the older he got, the more chiseled his face and rougher the voice. By 1950, he - along with big Sterling Hayden - were the two best males in the film noir genre, in my opinion. Both men were always interesting and both hit peaks in the very early '50s.

In this film, McGraw is the main criminal, "Red Kluger," a man who has just busted out of Folsom Prison. He immediately goes after the two guys most responsible for putting him behind bars, captures then and then goes on the lam with a stolen truck, a couple of other thugs and the kidnapped driver of the big truck.

At only 65 minutes, this moves by pretty fast, although there is a lull halfway through until things start to get tense as the cops get closer and closer. The "Inspector," by the way, is Robert Shayne, who played "Inspector Henderson" on the Superman TV show in the 1950s. The only difference was that he had a mustache in this movie.

One credibility problem: the truck driver, "Joe," could have escaped a few times, especially with his riding partner up front got out of the cab to talk to a cop! What a perfect chance to slip out his side and run for it...but he stays in the driver's seat (with nobody looking at him?) Oh, well; no film is perfect.

The climax was fine, offering some tense moments and a surprise finish regarding the hostages and crooks. Overall, a pretty solid film noir and one that, hopefully, will be available on DVD.