One of the all-time great B-Movies and one of the all-time great train movies. "The Tall Target" was directed by Anthony Mann so you knew it was going to be special. It's a thriller about a plot to assassinate Lincoln on board a train with Dick Powell as the detective out to prevent it and there's a host of B-Movie players lined up as suspects. It could be "Murder on the Orient Express" in miniature. Indeed Agatha Christie would have been proud of the construction while Billingsgate Fish Market would be proud of the number of red herrings on view. The whole thing is simplicity itself and the cast alone, (Adolphe Menjou, Paula Raymond, Marshall Thompson, Florence Bates, Ruby Dee, Will Geer etc.), would carry any A-lister. If it were longer it might have run out of steam but at 78 minutes it's just about perfect. The superb black and white photography is by Paul Vogel.Thursday, 23 July 2020
THE TALL TARGET
One of the all-time great B-Movies and one of the all-time great train movies. "The Tall Target" was directed by Anthony Mann so you knew it was going to be special. It's a thriller about a plot to assassinate Lincoln on board a train with Dick Powell as the detective out to prevent it and there's a host of B-Movie players lined up as suspects. It could be "Murder on the Orient Express" in miniature. Indeed Agatha Christie would have been proud of the construction while Billingsgate Fish Market would be proud of the number of red herrings on view. The whole thing is simplicity itself and the cast alone, (Adolphe Menjou, Paula Raymond, Marshall Thompson, Florence Bates, Ruby Dee, Will Geer etc.), would carry any A-lister. If it were longer it might have run out of steam but at 78 minutes it's just about perfect. The superb black and white photography is by Paul Vogel.
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