The Big Steal (1949)

The Big Steal (1949) Directed by Don Siegel

Don Siegel’s 1949 film is a thrilling cinematic jumble. Hollywood’s bad boy – a fitting sobriquet for Robert Mitchum, who at the time was in the eye of the storm for having been arrested for illegal possession of marijuana – plays the unlucky Lieutenant Halliday, who is hunted by his superior, Captain Vincent (William Bendix) because he has allegedly stolen a substantial amount of money belonging to the U.S. Army. Halliday knows who the actual culprit is, and in the midst of the cat-and-mouse affair, he also decides to chase – while he is being chased – the true possessor of the stolen money, the sneaky Fiske (Patric Knowles). You don’t need to try very hard to figure out that the script Siegel works with is hopelessly mediocre, the lack of structure makes the film run on autopilot. Nevertheless, Don Siegel is an exceptional director of movie stars, with a predilection for aggrandizing his protagonists as the most exciting thing you’ll see on screen; he’s a filmmaker who brings out the best in Mitchum’s badass charisma. In the fast-paced chase, Halliday runs into Joan Graham (Jane Greer, again starring in a noir with Mitchum), yet another character who joins the frantic chase. From start to finish, Siegel’s film feels like a screwball comedy à la noir. The plot is more comedy driven than thriller oriented. It’s rendered without the cynicism of post-war film noir and is chock full of droll and silly dialogue, I guess the film has no idea what it is either. But there is plenty of intrigue and showy acting, plus it has some organic, Mexico-set cinematography, which excels in its visual storytelling potential.