Stealin'

In the days before NetFlix or even Tivo, I had a method - I'd read the TV movie listings every Sunday and pre-program the VCR to record all the midnite oldies that I hadn't seen. Then I'd watch them at leisure. I wound up watching a lot of terrible Betty Grable movies, but I found some treasures too. For example, The Big Steal.

The Big Steal stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer (last coupled in the classic Out of the Past) with backup by Bill Bendix, Patric Knowles and Ramon Novarro. Basically, Greer is chasing Knowles through Mexico, pursued by Mitchum, who is pursued by Bendix, all followed by Novarro. There is a MacGuffin, some car chases through beautiful Mexican locations, a few fist fights and some gunplay, but this is no ordinary daylight noir or heist film. From the beginning, the tone is light and silly, without being fluffy. The ideal combination.

The Mexican setting us used without condescension - There's a running joke of Americans trying to communicate in Spanish, and the inspector-general who sounds so silly trying to speak English, well, he's not so silly as he seems.

Mitchum does quite well with this kind of light comedy - it fits his don't-give-a-damn style. Jane Greer has a nice Lauren Bacall by way of Marie Windsor thing. You can believe her as an innocent schoolteacher on vacation or as a gangster's moll. And there's no conflict, she's just that deep. Bendix doesn't get enough time on screen, but does a great long slow burn.

So, if you like classic black-and-white movies, comedies, film noir, Robert Mitchum, and great character actors - and I do! - this movie is for you.

AND! BONUS! It is on a double-bill disk with Illegal, with Mitchum and E.G. Robinson. I'll report after I've watched it.