I'll give Mickey Rooney credit for not completely overacting in this crime drama where he's a union boss loosely based on Jimmy Hoffa using criminal methods when his efforts to control others gets out of control. Pleading the fifth in the most arrogant of ways, he's able to avoid prison for contempt of court and resorts to kidnapping and torture of the rebellious Steve Cochran and later son Jay North in order to get Cochran to testify on his behalf.
Not a fan of Rooney's later dramatic parts outside of a mere few, I expected him to play another sneering, spitting bully, and while he's a bully of the highest degree, he manages to give a varied performance even though he obviously seems to be acting the part rather than being it.
Mamie Van Doren is Cochran's wife, and highly resembles Marilyn Monroe (more than Jayne Mansfield ever did), but is a decent actress even though a blonde bombshell housewife and mother is a rather odd sight in a film like this.
I'll admit that I expected to not give this a favorable review, but was immediately drawn in by the jazzy musical score and gritty setup. Rooney's men are more believable than him, but the way he says the above quote in regards to the man set aflame did have me in chills. Jim Backus is completely serious as a representative of the D. A.'s office, and Ray Danton, Mel Torme, Charlie Chaplin Jr. And Jackie Coogan are effective in support. Vampira is very funny in a cameo as a pretentious cafe owner whose juke box plays only opera. Intense and nail-biting towards the end, so I have to declare that I liked it enough to mark it as "good".
Not a fan of Rooney's later dramatic parts outside of a mere few, I expected him to play another sneering, spitting bully, and while he's a bully of the highest degree, he manages to give a varied performance even though he obviously seems to be acting the part rather than being it.
Mamie Van Doren is Cochran's wife, and highly resembles Marilyn Monroe (more than Jayne Mansfield ever did), but is a decent actress even though a blonde bombshell housewife and mother is a rather odd sight in a film like this.
I'll admit that I expected to not give this a favorable review, but was immediately drawn in by the jazzy musical score and gritty setup. Rooney's men are more believable than him, but the way he says the above quote in regards to the man set aflame did have me in chills. Jim Backus is completely serious as a representative of the D. A.'s office, and Ray Danton, Mel Torme, Charlie Chaplin Jr. And Jackie Coogan are effective in support. Vampira is very funny in a cameo as a pretentious cafe owner whose juke box plays only opera. Intense and nail-biting towards the end, so I have to declare that I liked it enough to mark it as "good".