"The Big Steal" is a story that features corruption, double crosses and betrayal and mixes them with comedy, romance and car chases to produce an exceptionally entertaining escapade. The plight of a man who's framed for a robbery he didn't commit, soon develops into a frantic race against time as he chases the real culprit whilst also, of course, being pursued himself. The high speed action that follows is utterly breathtaking and exhilarating to watch but is also made more enjoyable by the scintillating dialogue and some amusing plot twists.
After having had the misfortune to be robbed of payroll cash amounting to $300,000 whilst he was carrying out his routine duties, U.S. Army Lieutenant Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) is suspected of being the thief's accomplice and in order to prove his innocence, sets off to Mexico to hunt down Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) and bring him to justice.
In Vera Cruz, Halliday, who's being pursued by his senior officer Captain Vincent Blake (William Bendix) meets up with Joan Graham (Jane Greer) who turns out to be Fiske's fiancée. Fiske had borrowed $2,000 from her which he seems to have no intention of repaying, so she and Halliday join forces to catch the thief.
As Jane knows that Fiske is planning to go to Tehuacan, the couple follow. Their exploits involve fist fights and dodging bullets as they travel to their destination where Fiske meets a fence called Julius Seton (John Qualen) who is ready to exchange the stolen money for some clean bills. Complications arise, however, when Blake arrives on the scene and further surprise developments follow.
Considering that this movie was co-written by Daniel Mainwaring (aka Geoffrey Homes) and stars Mitchum and Greer who all previously collaborated in the making of "Out Of The Past", it's remarkable just how different the two movies are as "The Big Steal" is very bright and breezy whereas the earlier film's atmosphere is significantly darker.
Mitchum and Greer work brilliantly together and the entire cast turn in good performances. The standout supporting character is Inspector General Ortega (Ramon Navarro) a senior Mexican police officer who's cool and intelligent and gives everyone the impression that he believes their stories. Navarro is excellent in this role and his time on screen provides one of the surprise highlights of the movie.
After having had the misfortune to be robbed of payroll cash amounting to $300,000 whilst he was carrying out his routine duties, U.S. Army Lieutenant Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) is suspected of being the thief's accomplice and in order to prove his innocence, sets off to Mexico to hunt down Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) and bring him to justice.
In Vera Cruz, Halliday, who's being pursued by his senior officer Captain Vincent Blake (William Bendix) meets up with Joan Graham (Jane Greer) who turns out to be Fiske's fiancée. Fiske had borrowed $2,000 from her which he seems to have no intention of repaying, so she and Halliday join forces to catch the thief.
As Jane knows that Fiske is planning to go to Tehuacan, the couple follow. Their exploits involve fist fights and dodging bullets as they travel to their destination where Fiske meets a fence called Julius Seton (John Qualen) who is ready to exchange the stolen money for some clean bills. Complications arise, however, when Blake arrives on the scene and further surprise developments follow.
Considering that this movie was co-written by Daniel Mainwaring (aka Geoffrey Homes) and stars Mitchum and Greer who all previously collaborated in the making of "Out Of The Past", it's remarkable just how different the two movies are as "The Big Steal" is very bright and breezy whereas the earlier film's atmosphere is significantly darker.
Mitchum and Greer work brilliantly together and the entire cast turn in good performances. The standout supporting character is Inspector General Ortega (Ramon Navarro) a senior Mexican police officer who's cool and intelligent and gives everyone the impression that he believes their stories. Navarro is excellent in this role and his time on screen provides one of the surprise highlights of the movie.