A nation divided. Abraham Lincoln, newly elected President heads towards his inauguration. Half the country thinks the election was stolen. Talk of Civil War escalates. Assassination looms in the air. The Tall Target was made in 1951. The Civil Rights movement was just getting started. The nation was divided. As I write this Donald Trump will be sworn in as President in a few days. He regularly argued the previous election was stolen. Attempts have been made on his life. The nation is heavily divided.
Same as it ever was. It is difficult to watch The Tall Target and not think about how things remain the same. The country remains divided. Presidents are contentious. Racism remains rampant. You can’t help but sigh.
And watch movies. Art makes it better. And despite my depressing little intro, this is a terrific little movie. It is a cracker-jack thriller with some good performances, nice direction, and gorgeous, noir-infused cinematography.
Buy The Tall Target Blu-rayDick Powell stars as New York Police Sergeant John Kennedy. He’s become convinced that an attempt will be made to assassinate President-Elect Lincoln on the train he’ll be traveling on to Washington D.C. to his inauguration. Despite ample evidence, his superiors don’t believe him to the point that he quits the police force to board the train and stop the assassination.
Aboard the train, he meets an assortment of people from all sides of the aisle. There is an anti-slavery writer, a West Point Cadet planning to join the Confederate Army, and Colonel Jeffers (Adolphe Menjou) who says he didn’t vote for Lincoln but will support him now that he’s been elected. And many others
Very early on, Kennedy finds his friend Inspector Reilly murdered and himself at the wrong end of a gun. Over and over attempts will be made on his life while seemingly no one will believe that an assassination attempt is imminent. Much of the plot follows him as he investigates the issue and tries to capture the would-be assassins before they reach Baltimore (where he believes the attempt will occur). But the film also takes excursions into the social climate at the time. There is one scene where the anti-slavery writer, Charlotte Alsop (Florence Bates), interviews a slave (a terrific Ruby Dee) while her masters look on. She asks questions like what does it feel like to be beaten as if she’d get an honest answer with her masters listening in. Questions about whether she’d move back to Africa if she gains her freedom are both tone-deaf and treat the poor girl as if she is some sort of “other” and not truly an equal. The Southerners all seem to agree that war is imminent if Lincoln is allowed to be President. As if it was his fault. As if it isn’t the South that will secede and cause a war.
But mostly it is a nice little mystery. It kept me on my toes as to who the assassins could be and how Kennedy would stop them. Powell plays Kennedy like he’s a gumshoe in a 1940s film noir (and he’s dressed like one too while everyone else wears period-appropriate attire). His emotions are kept close to his vest, while his determination is unmatched. Director Anthony Mann keeps tight control of his camera and the action. Paul C. Vogel infuses everything with sharp noir lighting filled with dark shadows. Most of the film takes place on the train (with some beautifully claustrophobic sets) but any exterior shot is covered in steam in fog with the light shining magnificently through it giving everything a wonderful, eerie appearance.
The plot can be a little too convenient at times, and the messaging gets a little corny here and there, but mostly The Tall Target is all aces. Warner Archive presents the film in an absolutely lovely-looking new transfer. Extras include the following:
- Mr. President: a 20-minute radio broadcast from 1949 about Abraham Lincoln.
- Two Tom and Jerry shorts: Jerry’s Cousin / Slicked Up Pup.
- Theatrical Trailer
Highly Recommended.
