This violent gangster thriller shows how fast pacing can succeed in building tension despite several implausibilities in plotting and characterization. Mickey Rooney shows he could play a thoroughly nasty individual, but his Joe Braun comes over as little more than a caricature. Several incidents strain credibility, not least when one man is seen going up in flames, and is presumably killed, only to emerge later wearing a few strips of sticking plaster but otherwise OK. Despite these faults, the film remains eminently watchable. Steve Cochran gives one of the better performances as the hero.
Review of The Big Operator
