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The Undercover Man (1949)

Director: Joseph H Lewis

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From Time Out Film Guide

A superior crime thriller in the semi-documentary style beloved by Hollywood in the late '40s. With the Big Fellow clearly inspired by Capone (he's prosecuted for tax evasion when normal policing methods fail to nail him), and Glenn Ford's Federal Treasury agent wading through piles of paperwork (as well as resorting to the customary action-packed physical pursuit), it achieves an authenticity rare in the genre. Perhaps even more impressive is the acknowledgment that mob crime affects not only cops and criminals, but innocents too: witnesses are silenced, bystanders injured. And Lewis - one of the B movie greats - directs in admirably forthright, muscular fashion, making superb use of Burnett Guffey's gritty monochrome camerawork.

Author: GA 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Joseph H Lewis

Producer: Robert Rossen

Cast: Glenn Ford, Nina Foch, James Whitmore, Barry Kelley, Howard St John, David Wolfe, Leo Penn, Anthony Caruso full cast

Genre(s): Thrillers

Duration: 89 mins


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