Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

XhcnoirX Freelance trucker driver Steve Brodie accepts an evening job, despite also celebrating a 4-month engagement with his girl Audrey Long, because it pays so well and they can use the money. What Brodie doesn't realize until it's too late is that the job is for moving a load of stolen furs and is paid for by an old friend, now crook, Raymond Burr. Before he can refuse, a police officer is shot, and in the chaos Brodie drives off in a panic, while Burr's kid brother is arrested. Brodie doesn't get far however and Burr has him roughed up, wanting him to be the fall guy, clearing his kid brother. But when Brodie's name and photo ends up in the newspapers, he decides to run away with Long. They head out west to Long's aunt. Burr hires shady private dick Douglas Fowley to track down Brodie. Brodie eventually tries to turn himself in and give his side of the story, but police inspector Jason Robards Sr. lets him go, using him as bait to get to the rest of the gang. And sure enough, Fowley has no problem finding Brodie...A tense noir/thriller that wastes little time from start to finish. It was the last noir of director Anthony Mann ('T-Men', 'Raw Deal') before starting a partnership with DoP John Alton. However, the cinematographer on this movie, George E. Diskant ('The Narrow Margin', 'On Dangerous Ground') is no slouch either. The movie is beautiful to watch with some great noir photography.Brodie ('Out of The Past', 'Armored Car Robbery') is quite good as an innocent man on the run, but Long ('Born To Kill') is a bit too wholesome here for my taste. Burr ('Raw Deal', 'Pitfall') was born to play noir heavies, he is as menacing here as ever. Fowley ('Behind Locked Doors', 'Edge Of Doom') is his usual slimy self, I feel even as a character actor he never really escaped the B's, which is a shame, he had the necessary talent in my opinion.There is very little noir ambiguity in this movie, the good guys are great and friendly and the bad guys are mean and conniving. It's a minor complaint however, for an otherwise highly entertaining movie that keeps the suspense level pretty high throughout, with a great build-up to an exciting climax inside a 4-story stairwell. Highly recommended! 8/10

evanston_dad Steve Brodie is a decent working guy who gets roped into a heist against his will by some gangsters and has to go on the lam with his pregnant wife. "Desperate" is a very minor affair, but it does have some stylistic panache courtesy of Anthony Mann, who directed and had plenty of experience working in this genre. Raymond Burr is the film's biggest asset as the head thug; he wants to take down Brodie's character because his own brother gets the death penalty for shooting a police officer during the robbery. He pursues him out of pure spite long after the events that set the principal plot in motion have passed. Indeed, one of the most confusing things about the film is its timeline, with a good nine to ten months intervening between the film's beginning and its conclusion but which is treated by the film like it's a couple of weeks.Really the two most memorable things about "Desperate" are a scene where Burr and his toughs rough up Brodie and Mann chooses to shoot the scene while a suspended bulb sways back and forth creating eerie shadow effects; and the other is the fact that I spent the whole movie waiting to see what I thought would be a very young Jason Robards, only to find that there was a different actor by that name, and he plays the head detective in charge of tracking down the criminals.Grade: B

Claudio Carvalho The trucker Steve Randall (Steve Brodie) is an ex-GI that has fought in the war and has been married with Anne Randall (Audrey Long) for four months. Steve has a trunking business, but he arrives home with the intention of celebrating his wedding anniversary with Anne. He receives a phone call from a client that offers a small fortune to him to transport some goods that night and he does not have how to refuse.When he arrives at the spot, he finds that he was lured by the mobster Walt Radak (Raymond Burr) that wants to use Steve's truck to transport stolen furs. Steve does not accept the deal but is forced by Walt's gangsters to drive his truck. When he sees a police officer on the street, he blinks the headlights to call his attention. There is a shooting and the police officer is murdered and Walt's young brother Al is left behind and arrested by the police. Walt tries to force Steve to assume the murder to save his brother but Steve flees from the gangsters and travels with Anne, who is pregnant, to the countryside, pursued by Walt and his gangsters and by the police. When Steve finds a safe place for Anne in the farm of her Aunt Klara (Ilka Gruning) and Uncle Jan (Paul E. Burns), he goes to the police department and tells his story to Det. Lt. Louie Ferrari (Jason Robards) that does not believe in his words but let him go. Steve returns to the farm without knowing that Ferrari released him to be a bait to catch Walt and his men."Desperate" is a film-noir by Anthony Mann with a good story of pursue and death wish, with sordid characters, like for example the mobster, the car dealer, the detective lieutenant among others and good duel between Steve Brodie and Raymond Burr. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Desesperado" ("Desperate")

wes-connors Married four months, mechanic Steve Brodie (as Stephen "Steve" Randall) arrives with flowers for beautiful pregnant wife Audrey Long (as Anne). Out of the Army, and needing the money to support Ms. Long and his trucking business, Mr. Brodie accepts a lucrative job transporting "perishables" for a mysterious caller. The job turns out to be for childhood friend Raymond Burr (as Walt Radak), who has become a sadistic crook. Brodie refuses to drive, but is roughed-up and forced to participate. Framed, Brodie must dodge both the police and Mr. Burr, who blames Brodie for the capture of wounded brother Larry Nunn (as Al Radak)."Desperate" made director Anthony Mann's incredible skills obvious. There should have been, but weren't any "Best Director" awards. Perhaps it was the lower-budgeted genre, or that Mr. Mann's work herein was seen as too similar to that of Alfred Hitchcock. In hindsight, it is obvious Mann was a not an imitator, but a peer of Hitchcock. When dealing with the same subject matter, their expertise sometimes took the same highways, but the styles have a different integrity. Also award-worthy are cinematographer George Diskant and supporting actor Burr. Scenes with Burr and Brodie acting "Desperate" are masterful.********* Desperate (5/9/47) Anthony Mann ~ Steve Brodie, Audrey Long, Raymond Burr, Jason Robards Sr.