This movie is a stock Noir genre title, not great and not terrible. The tension, story, and even delivery are all uninspired. Even bankable stars like Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Becall, and Edward G. Robinson are phoning it in.
Closest comparison: It’s like a much tamer Funny Games by way of To Have and Have Not.
Setting: Adventure
Plot: Thriller
Tone: Thriller
This is an indie thriller that does a lot with a small budget. It’s a small-scale crime thriller with a ‘60s aesthetic that tries so hard not to overstep its limitations that it forgets to come into its own. There’s some witty banter, some clever dodges, and a few scenes of good tension, concluding in a passable, watchable, all-around not worse than pretty good movie.
Closest comparison: It’s like Charade by way of Three Days of the Condor.
Setting: Espionage
Plot: Crime
Tone: Thriller
This film is so classic that seemingly all other movies featuring stagecoaches pulled from it, even modern films like The Hateful Eight and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. It’s one of the great John Ford westerns, and even after all this time still holds up to modern viewing. There are plenty of great character moments slathered on top of the rich western setting and the solid underlying story, and it’s the characters that carry the film and make it so memorable even today.
Closest comparison: It’s like the final vignette in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs by way of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
Setting: Western
Plot: Confined Strangers
Tone: Adventure
