Anthony Mann (originally known as Emil Anton Bundesmann) is probably known by many for his taut, stylistic westerns of the early fifties (Winchester ‘73, Bend of the River, The Naked Spur), but many also known him from his generally uncouth budget noir thrillers produced in the mid to slack 40’s for such poverty row studios as Republic and RKO. Of these films, the current among fans being T-Men (1947), but I contemplate Raw Deal (1948) holds its’ have quite well, and is well-known viewing for anyone fervent in the genre. The film stars Dennis O’Keefe (who appeared in the earlier Mann film T-Men), Claire Trevor (Born to Slay, Key Largo), Marsha Hunt (Smash-Up: The Legend of a Woman, Jigsaw), and Raymond `Perry Mason’ Burr (The Whip Hand, Bride of the Gorilla) . Also appearing is John Ireland (A Slump in the Sun, All the King’s Men) and Curt Conway, who had bit parts in films like T-Men and The Naked City.
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The film basically begins with Joe (O’Keefe) busting outta the joint (that’s slang for escaping from prison, in case anyone was wondering) . Joe was sent up for a crime he didn’t commit, as he took the rap for his friend Rick (Burr) . We learn that Rick aided in Joe’s race indirectly (greasing a few palms, I suspect), but it’s not in Rick’s best interests to glimpse Joe survive the dash attempt as he owes him a sizable wad of cash and also he can build the finger on Rick. In a sense, Rick feels he’s giving Joe unbiased enough rope to hang himself with, and the police will catch care of his dirty business (with escaped convicts, it’s always shoot first, and then shoot again, at least in films like this) . Anyway, with the relieve of his girlfriend Pat (Trevor), he does race, but the police swiftly throw up a dragnet, and so Joe and Pat are forced to stare refuge in the apartment of Ann (Hunt), a just assist that worked on Joe’s case. She feels Joe should turn himself in, so they extinguish up taking Ann with them in an distress to maintain her from spilling the beans. With Ann in tow, Joe and Pat originate their scheme to San Francisco, hoping to win a boat to South America, but first Joe must pay a visit to Rick and glean the money he’s owed. Tiny does he know Rick has other plans, ones that involve Joe taking a dirt nap…
It’s graceful rare that I give out five stars, but I feel this film is deserving, as this is a case where I feel everything clicked. Mann’s direction, along with John Alton’s (T-Men, He Walked by Night) cinematography combined beautifully to accomplish a gloomy, rich chronicle that drew me in so completely. When I consider noir films, images of cityscapes, shrouded by murky night arrive to mind, but here, most of the fable takes region on the road, and in remote, forested areas. Regardless of this aspect, they aloof managed to employ the available elements to do one of the best films in the genre, aided by a tight script, thoughtful characters, and astounding performances. O’Keefe is a believable mix of criminal and hero, driven by his needs, but tortured his conscious which is drawn out by the kindly girl character of Ann (who finds herself attracted to the wonderful nature that she believes lies beneath Joe’s repellent exterior) . On the other side is the slightly extinct character of Pat, who, in any other film would have near off as a humdrum weak gun moll, but here she’s fully developed in her occupy honest (aided by her monotone epic throughout the film, taking her character well beyond what I would have expected) . She desperately loves Joe, but sees him slipping away as Ann’s influences choose their toll. And then there’s the character of Rick, the seemingly refined, yet highly sleazy, sadistic, strong-armed antagonist with a diminutive case of pyromania (check out the flaming Cherries Jubilee shower his gives his mistress after she makes the mistake of bumping into him, spilling a drink on his pretty duds) who’s set of leadership is based not on the respect of those under him (it’s rare that he does his believe dirty work), but on the fact he’s the biggest dog in the yard (especially the intention he’s filmed, at crude angles to perform his appearance seem that powerful more menacing) . Finally there’s the character of Fantail (Ireland), one of Rick’s henchman, who’s thinly veiled contempt for his boss comes through often, but apparently lacks the will or desire to wrest control from his boss. Another strength was the film’s pacing. The legend moved along well, needing only 79 minutes to completion, and not one wasted moment throughout. Perhaps this relatively short rush time was more a product of the minimal budget, but it’s immaterial as Mann gets the job done, presenting one of the finer films I’ve seen in awhile. I judge my current scene was the fistfight between Fantail and Joe in the taxidermy shop. It’s very intense, shot beautifully, and had me glued to the camouflage (if you ever obtain yourself in the station of brawling in such a set, compose positive you mind the antlers) . Was there some predictability within the memoir? Perhaps, but I was so taken in I rarely noticed, nor did I care.
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I belief the print on this DVD released by VCI looked very agreeable. There’s dinky indications of wear, but the inequity appeared bright and orderly, and the audio very decent. One has to remember this wasn’t a major studio film, so this may be the best transfer we’ll peruse, unless someone pops for a full-blown restoration. Special features include a 7 minutes share called Murky Reflections Portion 2, narrated by writer Max Allen Collins (an obliging portion, by the device), and three rough looking trailers for Impact (1949), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and Rupture Up (1947) .
Cookieman108
Anthony Mann’s films — whether they are Noire, War Film, Western, or Costume Memoir — are all about one thing: characters doomed to self-destruction. In that light “Raw Deal” is probably his best, because here *everyone* is going down.
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O’Keefe escapes from prison, crooked on collecting his dough from Crime Boss Raymond Burr, and leaving the country. But on the plot he becomes trapped between the woman who broke him out, and the attractive parole officer they kidnapped. Meanwhile the sadistic pyromaniac Burr has sent killer John Ireland to gain clear O’Keefe meets a sticky slay.
“Raw Deal” starts as an exhaust in classic film-noire style: tough-guy dialogue, gun-play, and simple low-key sets. Forunately (and unlike most directors), Mann is aware that these are honest *noire motifs*. So rather than compose a cliche by playing *to* them, Mann (and his collaborators Alton and Sawtell) produces a masterpiece by playing *against* them.
What would normally be a ancient revenge flick, becomes a complicated emotional perambulate, in the guise of an equally meandering — occaisionally surreal — road journey across post-war middle-America.
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John Alton photographs it beautifully (the Greg Toland of B-Movies) : a fight in a bait-shop takes set under a grid of unlit fishing nets; a woman’s face reflected in the face of a ships’ clock (also under a come by… hmmmm) ; a forest at night; an alleyway choked with fog — all of it exquisitely illuminated (or NOT illuminated, depending on your lighting philosophy) .
And instead of the standard — Dum-Da-Dum-Dum Dragnet net, composer Paul Sawtel (the Bernard Herrman of B-Movies) gives it a quivering, supernatural flavour — with a Theramin.
The cast is perfect, particularly Ireland whose lawful ambivalence can’t cloak his distain for Burr and respect for O’Keefe. And Whit Bissel does a urge throught in one of the films more surreal moments.
As i said before, the characters in a Mann film are always trapped by their have weaknesses. This is a standard B-movie/noir scheme, usually explained to the audience by a cynical Private-I with words like lust, betrayal, kill, etc. etc. What sets “Raw Deal” apart from the ordinary Noire fodder is that we don’t fair gape, we sympathise. In “Raw Deal” the trap isn’t “greed” or “lust” — it’s loyalty, devotion, duty, and self sacrifice. Anthony Mann’s characters are doomed by their virtues, not their vices.
And they hold us with them.
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