The Threat

I've long failed to understand why some movies that got releases on the Warner Archive are listed as being on backorder at the TCM Shop, even when there's no mention at Amazon that there's a limited number of copies left. An example of this would be the recent Noir Alley selection The Threat.

The movie starts off before the opening credits with an implied prison break. It turns out that prisoner is the dangerous Arnold Kluger (Charles McGraw), nicknamed "Red". Red was put in jail by prosecutor MacDonald (Frank Conroy) on evidence from police detective Ray Williams (Michael O'Shea). Williams is currently on injury leave, having broken some ribs, which gives him time to spend at home with his pregnant wife Ann (Julie Bishop). But Ray gets a call from headquarters that Red has escaped and that Ray should be careful. Ray decides to do exactly the opposite, and go to headquarters to help in the investigation.

What a stupid move. Red is hell-bent on getting revenge on the people who who put him behind bars. This means Williams, the DA, and even Red's old girlfriend Carol (Virginia Grey). So when Williams leaves his house, there are two guys in the car waiting for him to take him to Red. Red, for his part, is picking up Carol at the nightclub where she works. And the DA can be picked up in the morning.

Red's plan involves the one guy whom he still trusts implicitly. That guy, Tony, fled to Mexico, and the supposed agreement is that when Red gets out and Tony gets news of the escape, Tony's goin to fly to an abandoned air strip where he had smuggled alcohol back in the day, and pick up Red to take him to Mexico. So Red and his hostages have to get there, which involves hiring a moving van, since they've somehow absconded with a police car in order to have access to police radio, which is how they can stay a step ahead of the police.

Williams and the DA try to figure out a way to foil the plan while they're on the way to a shack by the airstrip out in the direction of Palm Springs. Carol, meanwhile, has been protesting her innocence, although Red clearly doesn't believe her. Eventually, they get to the shack, and in the morning when the plane is supposed to come....

The Threat is one of those B crime movies that I don't know if I would quite call a noir myself, but that's beside the point. Whether or not it's a noir, it's a darn entertaining movie. Director Felix Feist obviously knew how to make a good story on a limited budget, and that ability shows in spades here. Sure, there are a few plot holes if you pay close enough attentions, but there are also some key plot points that are cleverly worked in.

Charles McGraw is excellent as the brutal criminal, and Virginia Grey does well as the woman who wants out. O'Shea does as well as he can with the material he's given, although he wasn't given the best role despite his ostensibly being the lead actor. Poor guy has to be the perfect virtuous cop. How boring. There's nothing wrong with his performance, it's just that Red is so much more interesting a character.

For anybody who likes B movies, I can highly recommend The Threat.