Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Anthony Mann
Starring: Dennis O'Keefe,
Alfred Ryder, Wallace Ford, Charles McGraw, Jane Randolph
From: Eagle-Lion Films
This is not the first time I've said this on Letterboxd but it's been
too long since I've seen a film noir... in fact, this was the first one
I've checked out this year. Hopefully in the next few months I will
watch a few more of those as it's a genre I usually love.
The plot is simple yet effective: two agents in the United States Treasury Department go undercover to bust a counterfeiting ring and this requires them joining a gang and dealing with mobsters & other shady characters. They have to rise up in the ranks as they try to build a case. The perpetually nervous character known as The Schemer was exactly what you'd expect for someone only referred to by that name. Occasional narration does pop up and I know not everyone is a fan of that... I wasn't too bothered as many noirs have that and besides, there are long stretches where the narrator is gone as his comments weren't really needed.
They obviously had cooperation with the Treasury Department in the making of this film; thankfully that was never a detriment to telling its hard-hitting story, as some scenes where people get beat up sadistically, are killed, or otherwise are in a lot of peril... those are trademarks of the genre and they are present in this film. T-Men is set in both Detroit & LA and periodically, other branches of the department are shown-for example, forensics determine where the paper used for this particular case of counterfeiting likely came from.
A big asset in making this enthralling story a joy to watch is the cinematography from the legendary John Alton, who dabbled in many different genres but his noir contributions include the likes of Raw Deal. There is plenty of the characteristic lighting you'd expect-the daytime scenes (at the likes of an ice cream shop or in one pivotal scene, a farmer's market) also look aces. The movie as a whole was a reminder to me that I was a fool for ignoring film noir again for way too long a period of time.
The plot is simple yet effective: two agents in the United States Treasury Department go undercover to bust a counterfeiting ring and this requires them joining a gang and dealing with mobsters & other shady characters. They have to rise up in the ranks as they try to build a case. The perpetually nervous character known as The Schemer was exactly what you'd expect for someone only referred to by that name. Occasional narration does pop up and I know not everyone is a fan of that... I wasn't too bothered as many noirs have that and besides, there are long stretches where the narrator is gone as his comments weren't really needed.
They obviously had cooperation with the Treasury Department in the making of this film; thankfully that was never a detriment to telling its hard-hitting story, as some scenes where people get beat up sadistically, are killed, or otherwise are in a lot of peril... those are trademarks of the genre and they are present in this film. T-Men is set in both Detroit & LA and periodically, other branches of the department are shown-for example, forensics determine where the paper used for this particular case of counterfeiting likely came from.
A big asset in making this enthralling story a joy to watch is the cinematography from the legendary John Alton, who dabbled in many different genres but his noir contributions include the likes of Raw Deal. There is plenty of the characteristic lighting you'd expect-the daytime scenes (at the likes of an ice cream shop or in one pivotal scene, a farmer's market) also look aces. The movie as a whole was a reminder to me that I was a fool for ignoring film noir again for way too long a period of time.
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