Ça commence à Vera-Cruz

A rogue's runaway with the cash, a payroll, there's quite a backlash, Duke Halliday's on the hook, accusations that he took, ran away with the wages in a flash. There's Joan who's been conned by Jim Fiske, a fiancé she thought had no risk, but he's off with her cash, her hard earned saved stash, his escape is increasingly brisk. Captain Blake's on the tail of them all, along tracks, along trails he trawls, a man on a mission, with a mean disposition, intent on recovering the haul.

I's entertaining fayre, with a chase around the highways and byways of Mexico, with the delightful Jane Greer stealing the show.

As a team, Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer are pretty well-known, at least to classic film fans, for their pairing in "Out Of The Past," but I thought they were a lot more fun to watch in this particular film noir.

This movie, still not available on tape or disc for some reason, is almost one long chase scene, with people in three vehicles all on the move....with a neat twist at the end.

There is the typical 1940s budding romance in which the two parties do nothing with insult each other until the end. Sometimes that gets really old but in here it isn't, maybe because Greer has so many good lines.

It's also fun to see the old cars racing around hairpin curves, although the special effects are really dated. The fight scenes didn't look too realistic, either. Hey, I didn't say it was technically a great movie.....just a fun one to watch. Equally entertaining were two of the other people in on the chases: William Bendix and Patric Knowles.

Wow--talk about a strange but likable combination. This film is sort of like a mixture of film noir, and adventure film, a comedy and it's all set in Mexico. While this unusual melange might seem to make no sense, it actually works very well and it supremely watchable. Much of the reason for this was the excellent script that provided enough twists to keep a simple idea humming and another were the likable leads, Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer.

The film begins with Robert Mitchum being confronted by William Bendix on a cruise ship. Bendix has a gun on Mitchum and you aren't sure what the context is for this. Who is the good guy and who is the bad and what has happened up until this time? Instead of making this clear, the film deliberately keeps this all rather vague--a very good choice in hindsight. Since Mitchum is the studly male lead, you aren't particularly surprised when he manages to overpower Bendix and escape.

Once Mitchum escapes, he goes looking for a man (Patric Knowles) and apparently Jane Greer is also looking for the same con man. However, again and again, Knowles slips through their hands and the film consists of a road trip across Mexico to get their hands on Knowles. He evidently stole something--but what? And what about Bendix? Tune in and find out for yourself.

As I mentioned above, the story works well due to the writing and acting. Greer and Mitchum are a good pair and their dialog is actually quite snappy and funny. I also appreciated how the Mexicans were portrayed--they were normal folks--something unusual for 1940s Hollywood.

Overall, an exciting and fun film from start to finish and a next followup from their last film together, OUT OF THE PAST. However, according to the accompanying featurette (a DVD extra), Greer was not the first choice but Lizbeth Scott refused to star in the film with Mitchum following his arrest for marijuana possession.

Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer co-star in this film about a wrongfully accused man being chased by the bad guy, while chasing the other bad guy. Mitchum and Greer are both charming and warm, Mitchum with his cool demeanor and lazy eyes, Greer with her charismatic presence and radiant smile. William Bendix offers a terrific performance as the bad guy chasing down Mitchum. Fast, fun and not to be missed.

The Big Steal is directed by Don Siegel and adapted by Gerald Drayson Adams & Daniel Mainwaring from the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" written by Richard Wormser. It stars Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix, Patric Knowles & Ramon Novarro. Music is by Leigh Harline and the cinematographer is Harry J. Wild.

U.S. Army Lieutenant Duke Halliday (Mitchum) is robbed of a $300,000 payroll and pursues the man responsible into Mexico. But on his tail is Captain Vincent Blake (Bendix), who suspects him of being behind the robbery himself. Meeting up with Joan Graham (Greer), it turns out that she too has an agenda with the man Duke is after. Originally suspicious of each other, the duo form an uneasy alliance in the hope of achieving their aims.

At just 71 minutes in length The Big Steal is a briskly put together movie, one that is sharply scripted, acted accordingly and directed without fuss or filler. Lensed on location in and around Mexico City to add authenticity, it gets straight into its plot from the get go. This at first gives a slight feeling of confusion, but it's not before long when the narrative pulls together and the audience can sit back and lap up the various twists, turns and choice dialogue exchanges. More comedy crime caper than film noir stinger, The Big Steal is an enjoyable enough experience. 6.5/10