The Threat

I remember the first time I saw this movie- almost twenty years ago on AMC. Charles McGraw BLEW me away!!! He has been my favorite actor EVER SINCE!! He steals this movie from Michael O'Shea and with his steel blue eyes totally captivates every scene he is in. McGraw clearly IS the movie and in every scene demonstrates why he was and is considered to be one of the movies best villains. McGraw's "technique" lets us know that he was an actor to be reckoned with and that he was going to be around for a long time, which he was- another forty years as one of our better character actors who was given the lead in a few "B" movies and provided support in many "A" and "B" movies. To say nothing of the numerous television appearances he made. I can not envision too many actors taking this role and fully making it his own the way Mr.McGraw did. Even though his "look" left him for the most part typecast, he was one of our best character actors and "The Threat" bears the proof. Once you hear that voice, see those eyes and watch him do his stuff you can't take your eyes off him!! A Wonderful and Compelling Actor. Signed Mercedyz

Except for the light-hearted beginning and end, this is one hard-boiled cookie of a movie, (my apology to gourmets). Kluger (McGraw) may take hostages for criminal purposes, but the screenplay takes no prisoners. It's smart, tough, and efficient, another minor gem from RKO's golden post-war period. And who better to act out the gritty script than the jut-jawed McGraw, a role that fits him like a glove. And when he barks out orders to his underlings, I had to remind myself I wasn't included. If there were B-movie Oscars, which there should have been, he would be richly deserving.

Anyhow, the plot manages to turn the familiar prison break fugitive into an exciting chase across California, replete with a number of clever touches and a few surprises from an unflinching camera. I also like Virginia Grey (Carol) who specialized in sad-eyed, soulful parts as she does here. Still, I'm not sure the movie did O'Shea's (Ray) career much good since he's definitely second fiddle to the all-dominating Mc Graw. Too bad the movie's so obscure, since it shows in spades the vigor of the B-movie at its purest level.

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

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.

"The Threat" is an effective "B" film noir that is kind of a junior league "White Heat" with Charles McGraw starring as an escaped killer seeking vengeance on those who sent him up. The storyline is relatively clever and the threadbare production values are easily overlooked due to the earnest acting and fast pace.

McGraw was so evilly convincing as the heavy that RKO subsequently signed him to a seven-year contract and starred him in "Armored Car Robbery", "Roadblock" and "The Narrow Margin". When you consider that this picture was shot in under three weeks with a total budget of $221,000, it is quite an achievement for director Felix Feist.

One doesn't have to be 8 years old to appreciate economical film making that rises above the typical RKO "B" film sausage grinding of the time.