Armored Car Robbery

Remembered mostly as Hamilton Berger, TV's Perry Mason's opponent always doomed to fail, William Talman radiates with star quality as the anti-hero in this taut programmer. With few words and with no fanfare, Talman etches a finely tuned portrayal of a brainy and fussy gangster. The man is a portrait of self-discipline and clean-living except that he is a crook. Charles McGraw does well as his adversary, the detective, but it's Talman who captures our imagination and leaves indelible imprint on our minds as the meticulous crook who has figured out everything to the most infinitessimal detail. There's just one thing he doesn't know: this is an early 50's movie, so his character must learn that crime doesn't pay!

Wow, was I ever impressed by this little film. While ARMORED CAR ROBBERY is not an especially sexy title and the film possesses no real star power, it is a wonderfully effective and superbly written little B-movie directed by a young Richard Fleischer. So far in his career Fleischer had directed some shorts and a couple undistinguished films and it was several years before he gained fame with THE NARROW MARGIN (also a wonderful B-film starring Charles McGraw), THE VIKINGS and SOYLENT GREEN. So, since he was an unknown, they gave him mostly unknowns for the film. The biggest name in it was Charles McGraw--a great heavy and supporting actor who'd been around but still hadn't made a name for himself. Additionally, William Talman plays the leader of the bad guys and while you most likely won't recognize his name, he is the man who played Hamilton Burger on the "Perry Mason" TV show.

While McGraw was as wonderful as I'd expected since I'd seen him in quite a few great Film Noir movies, I was particularly impressed by Talman. As Ham Burger, he was a bland and one-note character--the jerk who ALWAYS lost to Perry Mason. But here, he was a very cold, calculating and scary man because he was so believable and amoral. It's a darn shame that this role didn't result in better roles--he really showed he could act.

The film is naturally about an armored car robbery and it was rather straight-forward in its plotting. However, because the dialog and the rest of the writing was so true to life, it really jumped out at me. While it did have a few great Noir-like lines (spoken mostly by the great McGraw), it emphasized reality over style and seemed like a very honest crime drama more than anything else. While it lacked the tension of THE NARROW MARGIN, it made up for it with quality at every level--resulting in a marvelous and generally unrecognized little gem. Watch this film--it's dandy.

With its lean, pared-down running time and exclusive focus on the cops 'n' robbers storyline, ARMOURED CAR ROBBERY could be a modern movie along the likes of the BOURNE films or HEAT. It's certainly a film that's stood the test of time very well, as it's extremely fast paced and action-packed with it. There's little to dislike here.

The plot is simplicity in itself: a group of bank robbers hijack an armoured car and make way with the loot. A gang of cops are soon on their tail, and then things get rather messy. There are fatalities on both sides, a sleazy burlesque club gets drawn into the mix, and there's an inexorable slide towards the inevitable showdown at the climax.

ARMOURED CAR ROBBERY boasts a tough script, excellent acting and strong direction from the reliable Richard Fleischer (10 RILLINGTON PLACE). The best of the cast is easily William Talman as the chief robber; he has a real screen presence here and holds his own against everyone else. Charles McGraw, as the dogged detective on his trail, is very nearly as good. In any case, this is a great, forgotten little movie that's rip for rediscovery.

Robert Fleischer's film Armored Car Robbery is, in many aspects, a straightforward heist movie. It features all of the usual suspects, including a bunch of ragtag tough guys, a heartless dame who only cares about the promise of lots of 'lettuce', and a lantern jawed, square shouldered cop who deep down really cares about his partner. These caricatures are expected and well played; what was a surprise was how well William Talman filled a role a less skilled performer might have slept through. Talman, who played the leader of the gang, infused his character with a flinty, almost sociopathic nature that plays as believable and chilling. Additionally, the movie had great momentum, one that moved a somewhat predicable plot forward at a gripping and exciting pace.

All of the actors gave good to excellent performances, though Charles McGraw's character was a smidge too one dimensional at times, as he spoke his clipped sentences through gritted teeth and wore the heroic big suit like a comic book lieutenant. Still, an enjoyable heist film that won't disappoint fans of the crime or noir genres. Some lovely visuals as well!

Having just watched Spike Lee's Inside Man recently, it occurred to me that the caper/heist genre movie has gradually become so familiar that even the twistiest of plots seems predictable and ordinary. With this in mind I stepped back about 50 years to this entry in the genre that is almost a documentary by way of comparison to recent films. Instead of building to twists and revelations, this film takes a much straighter line and plays up the noir aspects of the film to deliver a solid b movie that is lacking in fireworks but not any less satisfying for it.

Apparently this film caused a bit of a stir at the time of release as it was criticised for being too "instructional" in regards planning a job and also police procedure in the investigation. This is maybe pushing it a bit far but certainly it is played pretty straight throughout and by doing so seems to work well as just a tough crime story. The tough part is key because, although the basic story is solid, the film is sold on the atmosphere as painted by the script, the direction and the performances. The film is set in the grey world of noir where the criminals are hard but the cops seem to be driven by bitterness and revenge just as much as a desire to do the right thing. This gives the film a nice dark edge that fits the material well and although it lacks flair, the straight-shooting approach works well.

The direction is good and Fleischer is confident within the smoky confines of interview rooms, nightclubs and hideouts. The script is not a classic but it does provide some memorable lines and has a tough edge that the cast take to. Talman is suitably sharp and dark as the gang leader, convincing in his infatuation with Yvonne just as he is betraying his gang. McGraw is more obvious but no less enjoyable in the role of the bitter, driven detective after the gang. Jergens is a bit too, well, round to totally convincing as the scheming showgirl but she did well enough to carry her scenes. Support from Fowley, McGuire and others round out the b movie cast but their performances all suit the material and the genre.

Overall then this runs the risk of coming over a bit dull to those that are used to their "heist gone wrong" movies with more violence and more twists but this relatively by-the-numbers film still works well. The material is enjoyable and the solid script is well delivered with a tough edge by director and cast.