The Chase (1946) User Reviews

Catch THE CHASE if you can

[melvelvit-1 · 7/10 · 15 July 2007]

In Miami, Chuck Scott (Robert Cummings), a decorated war veteran down on his luck, finds a wallet on the street and returns it to its owner, wealthy Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran). He's offered a job on the spot as Roman's live-in chauffeur but quickly learns that his benefactor is a murderous racketeer who keeps his beautiful wife, Lorna (Michele Morgan), a virtual prisoner in their lavish mansion. Scott and Lorna find themselves thrown together due to his duties and soon fall in love. The pair make their escape and sail to Cuba but any happiness is short-lived; Lorna is knifed in a nightclub and Scott is framed for her murder. He soon finds himself on the run from both the police and Roman's ruthless henchman, Gino (Peter Lorre)...

Opinion is divided on this seldom-seen Film Noir based on Cornell Woolrich's novel "The Black Path Of Fear": Alain Silver in his "Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference To The American Style" feels, "THE PHANTOM LADY excepted, THE CHASE is the best cinematic equivalent of the dark, oppressive atmosphere that characterizes most of Cornell Woolrich's best fiction" while Robert Ottoson in "The American Film Noir 1940-1958" opines, "It is tempting to review the Woolrich novel instead of the film". Cornell Woolrich's writing has been likened to "the woozy paranoia of a dream" and in THE CHASE's Havana scenes that quality is successfully transferred to film. The city is a shadowy, sinister and claustrophobic place with seemingly no way out offset by a sunny Miami; this is due in no small part to the chiaroscuro cinematography of Franz F. Planer. The plot takes the premise of Fritz Lang's WOMAN IN THE WINDOW and goes it one better with the final twist blurring the distinction between reality, dream and premonition. Although the story unfolds in linear time there are a number of surprising turns along with many of the themes/motifs present in the best Film Noir. A post-war cynicism and sense of irony are never very far from the surface of the story; right from the start, the returning of Roman's wallet symbolizes the adage, "No good deed goes unpunished". Chuck Scott is a traumatized war veteran who can't afford a decent meal while the wicked live in sun-dappled splendor; when Roman tells Scott he deserves a medal for being so honest, Scott replies "I already have one". Eddie Roman's world is an ugly one and his tentacles are far-reaching -women are backhanded for minor infractions, a man's courage is tested just for kicks, and anyone that gets in the way is either shot, stabbed, or ripped apart by dogs. Capably directed by Arthur Ripley from a screenplay by Phillip Yordan, the standout in the cast is young Steve Cochran; his Eddie Roman is a dangerous, glassy-eyed psychopath devoid of human emotion.

Overall, THE CHASE is less than the sum of its parts -but some parts of it are 10/10! Not knowing too much about the plot can add immensely to the enjoyment of the film -so don't go seeking more info until after you see it. The public domain DVD I have promises "Guaranteed 100% Hollyweird!" and that's the truth but the print does have some scratches, blips, and bubbles. Apparently, VCI's "restored" DVD isn't much better; a scroll at the beginning states it's the best that could be done considering the deteriorated original elements. Pick it up any way you can as the quality is probably going to be about the same no matter the source.

Have you ever been afraid? Really afraid?

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 3 May 2011]

The Chase is directed by Arthur Ripley and adapted to screenplay by Philip Yordan from the novel The Black Path of Fear written by Cornell Woolrich. It stars Robert Cummings, Steve Cochran, Michèle Morgan, Peter Lorre and Jack Holt. Music is by Michel Michelet and cinematography comes from Frank F. Planer. Plot finds Cummings as World War II veteran Chuck Scott, drifting and skint, he finds a wallet and returns it to the owner. The owner is one Eddie Roman (Cochran), an apparently wealthy and thriving business man who repays Chuck's honesty by giving him a job as a chauffeur. Nothing from here on in will ever be the same....

The Chase is one of those films that fell in to the public domain, got a cult following in spite of the number of bad prints out there, and now arguably deserves a place on the must see list of film noir enthusiasts. Bad prints aside, The Chase deals in oppressive atmosphere and lives in the void caught between a dream and a nightmare. Ripley (Thunder Road 1958) crafts his whole film in a dream state, keeping it mostly nocturnal, he and photographer Franz Planer thrive on Woolrich's premise and use slow pacing and shadow play to smoother the characters. It feels stifling, odd even, but with a couple of tricks up his sleeve, Ripley garners maximum impact by disorientating the viewer for the wonderfully absurd ending. Some may call out cheat, others are likely to enjoy its Wellesian feel, either way it's certainly a film that can't be called dull.

Cummings is fine as the good guy suddenly finding his world shifting sideways in a blur of pills, sleep and perfume, while Morgan registers nicely - even if ultimately she's underused and often her character is just there to make a romantic point. Cochran, in only his second year of acting, is a dominating and frightening force as the handsome and oily Roman. It's a menacing portrayal of a character who slaps his women around and literally will stop at nothing to get his way. But even Cochran is trumped by yet another weasel turn from Lorre, standing on the side of his boss spitting flem as well as sarcastic quips, Lorre alone is enough to seek the film out for a viewing. Good secondary support comes from Jack Holt in an important small role.

It doesn't push any boundaries or hold up as being hugely influential in the film noir cycle. But it's a relevant piece of work in that cycle, and certainly recommended to those interested in dream like oppression. 7/10

Unusual Twists

[pninson · 6/10 · 12 March 2005]

I must admit, this 1946 film noir has twists in it that I didn't see coming. I was even confused at times ... but all was made clear in the end. Beautiful atmospheric b & w photography and fine performances, plus a story with genuine surprises more than offset the somewhat leisurely pace of the film.

The only real problem with the DVD is the soundtrack, which is marred by significant noise in places. There is a disclaimer at the beginning explaining that the film elements were in very poor condition and describing the painstaking work that went into restoring the film. The audio quality can be a little distracting.

This is a fine film noir; the less you know about the plot, the better. If you pick up the DVD, I'd recommend popping the disc into your player without reading the back cover.

Exciting film noir with good performances & a tough script

[wrbtu · 28 August 2001]

This is an exciting film noir with good performances & a tough script by Woolrich (anytime you see his name associated with a movie, it's a sign of quality, even for low budget series like Robert Dix's "The Whistler"). Robert Cummings gives one of the best performances of his life, because he avoids all those "Love That Bob" clichés he used to do so well (but sometimes, so inappropriately). Steve Cochran is very menacing & very sick as a sadistic mobster who wants to control everyone & everything around him (wait til you see his car, it's really neat!). Peter Lorre is prime Lorre, in a menacing role as Cochran's henchman. Michele Morgan is suitable as Cochran's sultry wife. The plot is not new, we've seen it before (& after), about an unhappily married wife who uses a friend to escape her husband. But the story's done in an interesting way, with some unusual aspects to it. There's plenty of shadows & lots of the movie takes place at night. The Chase moves at fast pace for the first 50 minutes or so, then slows down to catch it's breath, & then speeds up again near the end. I rate it 8/10.

I Liked It - Suspenseful

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 13 May 2016]

I like the film - it builds suspense. It might not be the best dramatic film noir on the market, but it's not a bad one. I've seen far worse films that are put in the film noir category. The Chase is standard crime stuff but has a charm and story of it's own.

Chuck Scott is an a war vet and an honest man. He returned a wallet to a man that lost it - impressed, the man hires Chuck as his chauffeur. Over a little bit of time, the man's wife talks Chuck into taking her away from her abusive husband and when the husband finds out he goes after them. It is dreamy as Chuck Scott is on the run and really unsure if his mind has become "unhinged" as his doctor put it. Chuck Scott was a war vet and his doctor seems to feel he is a clear case of PTSD. How much of this is a dream, how much is real, is it all a dream or did it really happen?

I didn't have a problem with the pacing of this film - seemed fine to me.

7/10

A Little Cheating Going On

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 11 May 2007]

This has a nice premise. It has some great bits, especially the car. The problem is in the motivations of a troubled mind. The dream sequence is a bit of cheating, in my eyes. It seems a little too easy to throw it in there and give the characters a second chance. Also, is the Cummings character just a little off his rocker as well. Anyway, there are wonderful camera angles, nice pacing, threat, psychosis and lots of other neat things that could have been just a little more compact. I love Peter Lorre's musings and victimization. He whines better than any actor in the history of film. He must know from one day to the next that his connection with the bad guy is going to cost him dearly somewhere down the line. Live for today, I guess.

Nice wine cellar!

[AAdaSC · 7/10 · 5 August 2010]

A hungry Chuck Scott (Robert Cummings) returns a wallet to gangster Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran) and is rewarded with a job as Eddie's chauffeur. He takes Eddie's wife Lorna (Michele Morgan) for drives along the beach in the evenings and they fall in love. They arrange to escape to Cuba.....

I knew to expect a twist in this film and so the plot made sense to me. It's not difficult to follow the story and there is an obvious beginning to the dream sequence when the picture becomes transparent and dreamlike for a couple of minutes and Michele Morgan's dress colour changes from white to black. This provides the beginning to a large section of the film and we return to Chuck asleep on his bed for the final denouement. I was reminded of "Pulp Fiction" where sections of the film are jumbled up, but this film is not as confusing to put back together.

The cast are all good. Robert Cummings is likable as the hero and the film starts off with some humour as he tucks into a meal. The best performances come from Steve Cochran as the psycho and Alexis Minotis as Lt. Acosta in the dream sequence. However, a major problem with the film is it's condition. There are sections where it is impossible to make out the dialogue and the film is too dark so that you don't know what you're watching for long stretches. It's a shame as it almost completely ruins the experience of watching the film. If you can stick through these passages, it's a good film.

Runs Out Of Gas

[writers_reign · 6/10 · 21 August 2006]

I bought this DVD strictly on the name of second-billed Michele Morgan, though it did no harm that Peter Lorre and Lloyd Corrigan were also featured. Given the starting-off point, a Cornell Woollrich novel, twists and unlikely situations are par for the course - how many gangsters, for example, even CARRY a wallet, let alone one with their name and address inside, and even if they DID, how many would drop it on the sidewalk outside a greasy spoon? You can count the number on the fingers of one thumb. But, it's a movie, right, so Steve Cochran obligingly drops his wallet UNDER the foot of Robert Cummings who, natch, doesn't have change of a match. Returning it he is offered a job as chauffeur by Cochran and within about 24 hours is planning to take it on the lam with Cochran's wife, Michele Morgan. I can't fault his taste but how come, after being in the job for about a week tops he suddenly has enough clothes to fill a suitcase when he arrived just in what he stood up in. If things like this don't bother you chances are you'll enjoy this one, twists and all, if not ...

Totally bizarre and absolutely unmissable

[MOscarbradley · 10/10 · 29 August 2017]

As a director Arthur Ripley only made six feature films but nothing in that short career quite prepares you for the gem that was "The Chase", which he made in 1946 and which Philip Yordan adapted from a Cornell Woolrich story. It's certainly bizarre, as down-on-his-luck Robert Cummings, (why Robert Cummings I keep asking myself), finds a wallet belonging to gangster Steve Cochran who, when he returns it, hires him as a chauffeur and that's when his troubles really begin, particularly when Cochran's frightened wife, Michele Morgan, asks him to help her get away from her husband.

Everything about this film is surprising and I just don't mean the plot. Cochran's a thug but he lives in a kitsch mansion filled with marble statues and he likes to listen to classical music while Cumming's a veteran who is also a dab hand on the piano. Perhaps the biggest surprise is just how good both these actors are. Being a gangster Cochran naturally has to have a henchman and as always Peter Lorre is superb in the part. About midway through you might start to get an idea in which direction this very strange movie is going and you may even be right...but on the other hand. Needless to say, "The Chase" has all but disappeared but if any film deserves cult status this is it. Unmissable.

Yes it's confusing, but that's OK

[oscarbreath · 6/10 · 22 February 2005]

It's fun to stretch the old brain muscle once in a while and get thrown a curvy film like this one. It doesn't just march along in a linear fashion, it stops and starts and twists and makes you question what you think is happening. Kinda like "Eternal Sunshine" in that regard, although it doesn't quite hop around nearly as much as that one.

But don't worry noir fans, it does follow many of the usual conventions. Beautiful woman in dangerous marriage, laconic good guy comes out of the blue and instantly decides to save her, sadistic bad guys, lots of dark and shadowy scenes. There's not a lot of chatter in this film, just enough. I really liked the Peter Lorre character, he's a man of few words but, to paraphrase Spencer Tracy, what there are, are cherse. And what's with that accelerator? Where did THAT idea come from? This film seems to have gone PD so it's available from several sources quite cheaply, often as a two-fer. It's worth your while.

The Horses Are Tired

[sonofthepioneers1967-710-623989 · 1/10 · 8 October 2021]

This movie is so bad that people deserve to be warned about it. In fact, this junk was only supposed to be 55 minutes long, but to stay in the feature film category, incompetent director Arthur Ripley included a 30-minute segment of nonsense. So let's divide this crap into 3 parts, to clarify the victims who intend to watch this bomb.

Part 1: in the initial 30 minutes the basic story of the film takes place (this first part will be the most exciting part of the film, everything that comes after that is a waste of time): Robert Cummings, a former navy soldier, finds a wallet on the street, hands it to the owner, Steve Cochran, who is a violent and misogynist mobster, and Cummings becomes Cochran's driver. The entire movie is full of improbability, and here are some of them: Cochran cuts his hair with a hat (has anyone ever seen someone cut their hair wearing a hat?); Cochran's wife, Michèle Morgan, who has run away from her husband and mysteriously has a desire to go to Havana (don't ask me why she wants to go specifically to Cuba, that's not a political reason and this is not revealed); Cochran mysteriously locks Lloyd Corrigan in his cellar (don't ask me why he wants to kill Corrigan, this is not revealed), who before his time comes, enjoys looking at a bottle of 1815 Napoleon brandy, and is immediately eaten alive by the Cochran's pet dog. Finally, Cummings buys two tickets to Havana, Don Wilson watches him buy the tickets (in the third part, I'll return to the complex case of Wilson's character), and arranges with Morgan to take her on the 9:30pm trip. He takes advantage of the fact that it's early, and goes to sleep a little, after all, nobody is made of iron. Viewers should do the same, turn off the movie, and go to sleep.

Part 2: starts from 30 minutes of film, until completing 60 minutes of film. What was filmed during that half hour is what most revolts the viewers. I understand the revolt because actually what seems to be exciting starts to get totally far-fetched, pointless, meaningless, and completely hallucinogenic. So forget all the nonsense filmed in this 30-minute film: ship trip; Cummings playing piano and having sex with Morgan; the coachman (Martin Garralaga), saying that the horses are tired; the dancing and horrible song in the Cuban nightclub; Morgan being murdered with a knife in her back; the long and damned scenes of the monkey-handled knife; Cummings on the run from the police; the murdered photographer; and Peter Lorre shooting 2 shots at Cummings. All of these scenes don't have to make sense for a single reason: this half hour is irrelevant to the movie's plot because they're part of a Cummings dream! Yes, this half hour of the movie is just a dream, it's all a lie, and nothing has anything to do with it. Sorry to discourage some movie lovers, but I must warn you that if you got carried away with this Cuban plot, you should examine your brains. This plot did not exist, it was all a dream of Cummings and you were made of morons, if you took this half hour seriously.

Part 3: let's get back to the movie now, and this is the most absurd part (if you thought you've seen too much bullshit, the worst comes now). This third part starts at 60 minutes of film and goes through the final 86 minutes. Cummings wakes up (yes, remember, half an hour ago, he lay down, took a nap, had a psychotic Cuban dream, and the viewers lost half an hour of your life), and calls your navy psychiatrist after all, he's absolutely not understanding what's going on with him (natural, considering this is a totally stupid movie). Jack Holt, his psychiatrist, explains to Cummings that he is a war psycho, so this demented behavior is natural. So, they go for some booze in a bar (don't ask me why these two imbeciles went for a drink in a bar, this is not revealed), and we find out that Holt is friends with Cochran and Lorre (don't ask me since when, or the relationship level, or because Holt knows the two mobsters, these things are not revealed). Then Cummings remembers that he has to take Morgan and go to Cuba (he finally remembered that ''little detail''), and goes to her. Cochran and Lorre find out from Don Wilson (didn't I say we'd get back to him?), that Cummings bought two tickets to Havana (don't ask me how Wilson knew Cummings was a Cochran driver, this is not revealed). Cummings and Morgan go to a ship, Cristobal (don't ask me why they took this ship, this is not revealed). Cochran finds out they took the Cristobal ship, but don't ask me how Cochran found out that his wife and her lover took the Cristobal ship, this is not revealed, and this time Cochran himself tells Lorre not to ask him how he knows Cummings and Morgan will take the ship Cristobal, as he doesn't even know why he knows this! I'm serious, if you doubt this ''amazing philosophical scene'', watch it if you dare. OK, we've come to the end, and I'll just mention one of Cochran's fun toys: he has the car accelerator pedal on the floor of the back seat of the car, and controls the car's speed himself, independent of the driver (don't ask me because he has this accessory in the car, let's say it is perhaps typical of every mobster's eccentricity, but the reason for this is not revealed). Peter Lorre is at the wheel, and Cochran is at the accelerator, and they go at an incredible speed, get hit by a train, and finally charred to death. Next, we see Cummings with a newspaper in hand, before the Cristobal ship leaves, telling Morgan that they don't need to worry about Cochran anymore (after all, he's finally dead). Don't ask me how Cummings got a newspaper with a story covering an accident that happened probably less than 30 minutes ago, this miracle of the fast press in 1946 is not revealed. And finally, in the last scene again we have Cummings kissing Morgan in a cart, and the same coachman, Garralaga, who said the horses were tired, is driving the cart, but this time, at least he doesn't say the horses are tired.

I hope I've clarified the main points of this ''fantastic'' work which has absolutely nothing of noir, it's just a romantic drama with half an hour of disconnected scenes from a hallucinogenic dream. Next time, better choose the movies you are going to watch, and don't waste your time anymore!

Unsung Noir packs a punch!

[mbking · 8/10 · 19 November 2000]

The first time I saw this film, I was mesmerised by the moody cinematography, the perfect casting of all the players and the unexpected twists and turns of the plot. Similar to the Noir classics, DOUBLE INDEMNITY and OUT OF THE PAST, the hero (Robert Cummings) is drawn into a web of intrigue by a beautiful woman (Michele Morgan), but in this case she turns out to be a legitimate "dream walking." The film was even better the second time around, as I could savour the various clues sprinkled throughout. Even by today's standards, Steve Cochran, Peter Lorre and their canine friend have to rank high among the screen's most vicious heavies. Vastly underrated, THE CHASE will set your heart a thumping! (According to the 2001 Maltin MOVIE & VIDEO GUIDE, it is now available on video)

False ending

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 22 April 2013]

The Chase finds Robert Cummings as a down on his luck veteran who finds a wallet with $81.00 in it. This was the opening gambit of the Bing Crosby musical Double Or Nothing where he is one of only four people who return a wallet with $100.00 in it. But this is for real and Cummings shortly has reason to think he'd be better off to have kept the money.

Instead all Bob does is get a meal and return the wallet with $79.50 to gangster Steve Cochran who lives in a nice palatial estate with French born wife Michelle Morgan. Cochran if not impressed is intrigued by his honesty and hires him. After that Cummings gets enough knowledge to know that this is not a guy he'd like to be working with.

A lot of people seem to be intrigued by the false ending where it is discovered Cummings has dreamed it all and winds up in the helpful hands of Navy psychiatrist Jack Holt for help. For myself I don't think it added all that much to what was an already interesting film.

Cummings, Morgan, Cochran and Peter Lorre who plays Cochran's number 2 guy all give interesting performances. Lorre is as ruthless as Cochran if not quite as psychotic. As for Cochran he's the ultimate backseat driver who for amusement has some controls built into the rear passenger seats so he can take over driving from the chauffeur, something that startled Cummings and would startle just about anyone else. Of course you can't see the road all that well and that's something Cochran will regret.

This independent United Artists film doesn't get the plaudits from me that it does from others. Still more than fans of the principal players should like it.

Confusing Mess of a Movie

[CatherineYronwode · 2/10 · 3 April 2007]

Aside from the fact that this movie is peopled with competent actors and sports some adequate film noir lighting effects, it is the bar-none stupidest and most confusing movie i have seen since "Mesa of Lost Women," which puts it way below such classics as "Child Bride of the Ozarks."

You can read other comments here, some of which will tell you that the film is "dreamlike," but that is hooey. It is just a mess, that's all. The ostensible hero -- let's just call him the lead player -- Scotty (Bob Cummings) is gulping prescription pills like candy and is hallucinating on all four cylinders by the time he falls in love with his crime-lord boss's wife, a suicidal maniac with tear-streaked cheeks and an affectless manner so turgid that to watch her emote is like watching glaciers melt. Meanwhile Peter Lorre, not up to the fab menace he projected in "Quicksand" with Mickey Rooney, is phoning in his usual Austrian criminal side-kick grimaces.

Why do we never see the buying of the knife? Why does Lorna change her dress from white to black between suicidal ideations? Why does Scotty's psych doc keep giving him all those happy pills? Did Gino shoot the Russian Chinese shop keeper or just walk away? How does the happy couple get their 2nd pair of tickets? Did Scotty know the cab driver in another lifetime or is he psychic and knew he'd meet him later? Were there any horses hitched to the cab at all? Was the boss as suicidal as his bride? Where does Scotty buy the newspaper about the last two deaths -- and how could it have been published in the middle of the night and then purchased on board a ship? Were there really 3 knives? Was the psych doctor a henchman of the crime lord? Why was this film so SLOW?

If you know the answers to these questions, you haven't watched this film -- because it leaves them all unanswered.

A Surreal Sleeper

[dougdoepke · 17 August 2013]

A troubled ex-serviceman gets a job with a crime boss and his disturbed wife.

A 'find' for me and perhaps for other fans of noir. The 80-minutes are a perfect blend of dark visuals and surreal story. Frankly, when I think noir, I don't think Bob Cummings, an excellent light comedy actor, but hardly a figure of depth. But here, he essays the role of the troubled vet in subtle and persuasive ways. The nightclub scenes in Havana are particularly revealing, as the chaotic gaiety swirls around Scott (Cummings) and his spacey lover Lorna (Morgan)—a perfect metaphor for their circumstance.

A number of touches make this a memorable film. Casting Lorre as Gino was a coup, since his quietly devilish imp casts a background shadow over the proceedings. That's significant because Cochran, the alleged crime boss, comes across as a rather charming fellow even if he's behind dark deeds. Then there's that scene in the wine cellar, unlike any I've seen, and shrewdly abbreviated to catch the imagination. Also, catch Lorna's cameo framing through the porthole with shadows rising and falling over her face, as her nature itself migrates between light and dark. Add to the mix a speeding locomotive as the hand of fate, and a weirdly backseat driver that really is a backseat driver, and you've got an appropriately noirish race against time. And, of course, mustn't leave out the final scene so perfectly calibrated to end the film on a provocatively surreal note.

The movie's full of such imaginative twists and turns as penned by two of the best in the business, Woolrich and Yordan. I'm not sure why the movie's generally overlooked in the noir canon, perhaps because of Bob Cummings and his lightweight reputation, plus the lack of a true spider woman. Nonetheless, it's a provocative little gem, and one that prompts rare second thoughts long after the screen has gone dark.

Good Film Noir-ish movie

[arfdawg-1 · 7/10 · 30 January 2017]

The Plot.

Returning a lost wallet gains unemployed veteran Chuck Scott a job as chauffeur to Eddie Roman, a seeming gangster whose enemies have a way of meeting violent ends.

The job proves nerve-wracking, and soon Chuck finds himself pledged to help Eddie's lovely, fearful, prisoner-wife Lorna to escape.

The result leaves Chuck caught like a rat in a trap, vainly seeking a way out through dark streets.

But the real chase begins when the strange plot virtually starts all over again.

This seems to be a very intriguing film however my experience was marred by a really bad print that rendered the sound all garbled in spots.

Even so, i got into the plot.

Not sure why Peter Lorre is billed down the pike when he's pretty important to the film.

In all, it's a pretty good semi-film noir.

The Jade Handle

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 3 September 2023]

Based on material by the man who wrote the story on which 'Rear Window' was based; although director Arthur Ripley doesn't really seem to be taking it very seriously, this potboiler set in Havana is of considerable interest to students of Hitchcock since the plot closely resembles both 'Saboteur' and 'North by Northwest', with elements of both and even a conclusion involving model vehicles like that in 'Number Thirteen'.

Bob Cummings (who starred in the earlier film) gets top billing but is as usual rather a lightweight, and the film is really to be cherished for the presence of Steve Cochran as a blackguard who wears his homburg while having his nails done, Michelle Morgan (soon to return to Europe) and a still relatively slim Peter Lorre.

The woman in front of the sea.

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 7 August 2020]

In William Irish's aka Cornell Woolrich's novels ,the gangsters always take a back seat , and sometimes they are totally absent :theirs is the story of the lonesome hero (more often heroine) who shows a tendency to react to events instead of initiating them ; he's the man next door often too honest :here the hero (Robert Cummings) brings back a wallet and it leads him to romantic exotic adventures in Cuba with a beautiful blonde (Michelle Morgan )who is nothing but a femme fatale (this character is not part of Irish's world) even though the viewer first suspects it must be a setup woven by the two sinister-looking gangsters (Steve Cochran and Peter Lorre).

In spite (or because of ) the paucity of the budget, the settings (particularly Cuba) devoid of any realism , the movie fascinates with his sense of claustrophobia :the cellar where a man is attacked by a dog we don't see and the broken bottle of wine which represents blood which has been shed ; the tiny cabin where the drifters hide, the narrow streets where the panick-striken chauffeur tries to escape from invisible enemies.

A part of the movie is dreamlike and as there is no real transition between reality and what one would call delirium ,the viewer may sometimes get lost in the somewhat disjointed plot; it makes the film look like "the woman in the window" (1944) but Ripley is not Lang .

For a French viewer ,the presence of Michele Morgan -who is a superstar in her native country - adds to the mystery;it's all the most disturbing since she dies (or does she?) halfway through.Morgan would be featured in another Irish adaptation "obsession" by Jean Delannoy (1954) ,based on the writer's short story " silent as a grave" .As for Cummings,his part will remind you of Hitchcock's "saboteur"(1942) ,which is also a "chase " .

Backseat driving revisited!

[Goingbegging · 6/10 · 28 June 2021]

When you're the top gang-boss of the Miami-Havana circuit, the cops tend to look the other way, leaving you free to instal a dual-control gadget in the back of your car, to over-ride the chauffeur on a whim. Predictably, this leads to some fancy driving, to put it mildly, influencing the story more than somewhat.

The boss (Eddie) is played by Steve Cochran, only newly arrived in Hollywood, but carrying full conviction as the menacing villain, silent and sinister, eyes full of death, accompanied by Peter Lorre as the cynical henchman whom that tortured Hungarian was surely born to play.

The chauffeur (Scotty) is Bob Cummings, acting as a wartime sailor, discharged with 'anxiety neurosis' and reduced to the pavement life, gazing enviously through the window of a cheap café at those lucky folk who can afford a hot breakfast. By chance (and rather improbably), he notices a wallet someone has dropped, and virtuously delivers it to the address printed on a visiting-card inside the flap. Under scrutiny by a suspicious Lorre, he is admitted to the gangster's palace, where Eddie is seen violently chastising a couple of female staff, before asking the newcomer his business.

Scotty hands over the wallet, complete with 80 dollars, nervously confessing that he spent the other dollar in the café. For a moment, it looks as though this might have cost him his life, but Eddie decides that he's amused at the young man's honesty (even as Lorre mumbles his unflattering opinion of mere law-abiders), and duly appoints him as chauffeur.

There follows a rather speeded-up Lady Chatterley situation, with Eddie's lonely and neglected wife Lorna, played by Michèle Morgan, finding excuses to be driven to the beach by her new friend, and they plan to elope to Cuba.

This would be the moment for a few spoilers - if I even half-understood the plot, that is. As it is, I can only suggest that the later story deliberately leaves you baffled, in order to earn its mysterious label of 'Film Noir'. Cummings makes a poor job of pretending to play the piano to impress Morgan, but he and Morgan don't really have the chemistry anyway. The only surprisingly good performance is the humble shopkeeper in Havana played by Russian opera star Nina Koshetz. And at least Lorre and Cummings would have plenty to swap notes about at break-time, Lorre being a morphine addict and Cummings being a client of the same Dr. Feelgood as John F. Kennedy.

Dreamlike Film Noir Chase To Havana

[Cinebug · 8/10 · 29 August 1999]

Chuck Scott, a returning WW II soldier, takes a job as driver to Eddie Roman, a vicious gangster who will typically stop at nothing to get what he wants. Roman, who has a particularly sadistic side to his nature, likes to test new drivers and so has an accelerator in the back seat of his car so that he can "take over" total control whenever he wants. This bizarre quirk drives Roman's right hand man, played by Peter Lorre, understandably crazy. Scott passes the test and gets the job.

He then proceeds to fall in love with Roman's wife, who is so frightened of her husband that she tries to commit suicide. The two decide to run away together, but Roman finds out about their plans and the chase is on. Or is it?

This is probably the most dreamlike film noir ever made, due in great part to the plot by Cornell Woolrich----the master of bizarre situations------from his novel THE BLACK PATH OF FEAR. It's a bit confusing, but that only adds to it dreamlike atmosphere.

Robert Cummings, Steve Cochran, Peter Lorre, Michele Morgan, and even Don Wilson, more famous as the announcer on the Jack Benny Television Show, are perfect in their roles. And Lloyd Corrigan has a small but dramatic scene where Roman and Lorre decide to put the bite on him in the wine cellar.

It's an obscure film noir that's seldom shown on televison and strangely isn't yet on video. What a shame.

Sliding Doors Noir!

[spookyrat1 · 6/10 · 14 June 2020]

This is an interesting 40's film noir with and end of second act mildly supernatural twist, which opens the door to a third act second play of things deja vue. What stands out most in Arthur Ripley's stylised little pot-boiler, is its likely influence on later works from directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch.

Bob Cummings plays a PTSD - affected naval veteran, Scotty, very much down on his luck and drifting around Florida, post WW2. Things appear to change for the better, when after finding a cash-filled wallet and returning it to its owner, mobster Eddie Ronan, he is offered a job, as his personal chauffeur. In this role he meets Cochran's sultry, unhappily married wife Lorna, who's looking to exit the marriage and in Scotty, sees a means to achieve her aim.

The acting is collectively good; especially noteworthy is Steve Cochran as the oily, ruthless Ronan and Peter Lorre, as his menacing off-sider Gino. Ronan likes to lord over all his possessions and everyone that he encounters, to the extent that besides being in the habit of eliminating any potential rivals, he locks Lorna up at night and has his vehicle equipped with a master accelerator and brake, allowing him to override his driver when he has a yen to do so. Cummings is more than competent in the role, but physically, one finds it hard to believe that his fresh-faced visage hides a world of war torn mental scarring.

The black and white cinematography is memorable for its dark dream-like feel, as reality becomes indistinguishable from the dream sequences in both the Florida and Cuban locales. The music by Michel Michelet, though a little overpowering at times, has an appropriate latin flavour where necessary.

What stops The Chase from being a really good entry in the noir genre are the overt script contrivances involved with getting to the chase itself. The trophy wife - hired hand potentially adulterous love affair happens with ridiculous speed, before any chemistry is allowed to develop between Scotty and Lorna. Third act alternative narrative lines demand 2 different pairs of men just happening to conveniently turn up to the same Miami bar restaurant at the same time. An associate of Ronan's laughably, just happening to notice and remember Scotty's purchase of a couple of passenger tickets. And finally and most improbably, Ronan and Gino, both just happening to know the naval psychiatrist, who is treating Scotty's stress disorder.

If viewers can roll with these contorted screenplay gymnastics, they should enjoy this taut, little bizarre jaunt through a nightmarish crime world.

If you must kill an hour and a half.

[BILLYBOY-10 · 4/10 · 24 June 2010]

Cummings character is down and out and finds a wallet and returns it to a rich gangster type who just got a haircut from a private barber. In this scene, the gangster is telling the barber what a good job she did only he is wearing a hat. Then he flinches and the manicurist nicks his finger so he slaps her to the floor and then gives Cummings a job as his chauffeur. Then a foe of the gangster is left alone in his wine cellar with a bottle of Napoleon brandy and presently he's mauled to death by the gangsters dog and the bottle is broken and spilled all over the cellar floor. How sad. And irrelevant. Then the gangsters sad wife appears and gets Cummings to help her escape from the gangsters clutches, so they high tail it to Havana on a steamer in a single room with a piano in it where he plays sad music and then he pulls the curtains and they obviously get it on. Once in Havana, she gets knifed in the back and Cummings gets busted and then he gets knocked out and wakes up back in Miami, then he has amnesia so he goes to see his Naval doctor who is treating him for traumatic, melodrama, pseudo-noir, B-movie Malady. Then Cummings and the Doctor go to a bar for a drink as part of his treatment and things happen and Cummings remembers some things so he probably had a dream about the Havana stuff so he rushes off to another boat to Havana but the gangster is rushing off there too but he crashes his car with a train he is racing from his back seat gas pedal so then Cummings and the depressed wife can rush off to Havana. But why? I love old black and white movies and I especially love them if they are really good or even make a little sense. This one is just corny but has a nice old Cadillac sedan and a house with statues in it.

A strange, neurotic noir based on a book by Cornell Woolrich

[Terrell-4 · 8/10 · 20 March 2009]

In Hollywood, directors get the credit. With The Chase, a strange, fascinating, neurotic noir, the credit should go to one of the masters of noir pulp fiction, the writer Cornell Woolrich. Like Phantom Lady, another Woolrich creation, the story centers around what might be struggling to get out of a person's head.

Woolrich wrote masterful pulp using his own name or the pseudonyms William Irish or George Hopley. He was a homosexual who loathed himself. He married a girl he idolized and saw the marriage annulled. Despite the money he made, he lived most of his life with his mother in decaying New York apartment buildings where his neighbors were lushes, prostitutes and drug addicts. At night, he'd troll the waterfront for anonymous sex partners. He became a deep alcoholic. And he turned out a stream of mystery novels and short stories that still are worth reading nearly 40 years after his death. Much of his material has been made into movies. If you like Hitchcock's Rear Window, you're watching a Cornell Woolrich short story. More often than not, the stories revolve around the black struggles that can happen inside a person's head. The Chase, based on Woolrich's The Black Path of Fear, is a noir worth watching.

One morning a down-and-out young man, Chuck Scott (Robert Cummings), finds a wallet on a Miami sidewalk. He finds the owner's name and address and delivers it to him. The owner, Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran), is a soft-spoken gangster with a penchant for hitting women, eliminating business competitors and for always being the man in control. His partner, Gino (Peter Lorre), who grew up with him, is just as ruthless and amoral, but not as psychopathic. Roman has been married three years to Lorna (Michelle Morgan), a beautiful, frightened woman who wants only to escape from him. Eddie Roman is amused by Chuck Scott's honesty and hires him as a chauffeur. Scott quickly learns two things. First, Roman has a car that is built so that from the back seat Roman can take over the accelerator. When he flips a switch he can move the car up to over 100 miles an hour. The driver can only steer and pray. The second thing Scott learns is that he is drawn to Lorna Roman.

It all comes together when Scott agrees to flee with Lorna to Havana. And then we descend into a dark swirl of murder, pay back, amnesia and fear. Half way through the movie we find ourselves in a paranoid dream of night-time Havana, of a horse-drawn carriage that rides off into a busy street, of a man glimpsed throwing a knife in a crowded bar, of a Cuban detective who casually uses a murder knife to spear a piece of melon from the table of a sobbing prostitute. Only later do we learn what is dream and what is real. If what was dream is frightening, what is real may turn out to be worse.

This really is an excellently developed story, and photographed with all the poorly lit streets and shadowy rooms a good noir needs. Cummings does a credible job as the uncertain but determined hero. Steve Cochran is first-rate as the menace. He's quiet, even thoughtful, but ready to do violent and unpredictable things in an instant. He has no intention of letting Lorna go. Lloyd Corrigan, a long time character actor, makes a memorable appearance as a businessman who won't sell his ships to Roman. He spends the rest of his life, which is brief, in Roman's wine cellar with a large dog. The music score is a strange dreamy underlay that suits the movie just fine.

Hidden Gem of Noir; Don't Miss It!

[arthur_tafero · 7/10 · 24 July 2018]

This masterpiece has it all; good production values, a great cast with memorable performances, a tight script, and good direction. Why it has been buried after 70 years is beyond me. It is right up there with the best of Hitchcock. The screenplay by Woorich and Yordan is impeccable. I'm having trouble finding reasons to only give it an 8 out of 10.

Robert Cummings is perfect in this role, as is Steve Cochran as Eddie Roman, the terrifyingly ruthless crime boss. Peter Lorre is actually overkill, although he does a great job as well. Even the femme fatale, Lorna is well-played by a B actress. I sure am glad my car doesn't have one of those backseat accelerators; my kid would go crazy with it. This film is a must-see; highly recommended.

Schizophrenic Movie Waste of Talented Cast and Viewer's Time

[oldblackandwhite · 3/10 · 6 September 2010]

The Chase (l946) is one of several movies with this title, and if I believed in such things, I would speculate that the title is a curse. I didn't think it could possibly be worse than the turgid 1966 Marlin Brando movie ("I gotta go find Bubber...") of the same title, but it comes close.

Have you ever had the following type of experience? You have just met someone who at first seems bright, interesting, and appealing -- let's say it is a member of the opposite sex you're hoping to put the charm on. Everything goes swimmingly at first, but the more you listen to this person, the more you realize that he or she is utterly mad, and now you are just looking for a way to extricate yourself from the conversation and run for cover. That's exactly what watching this movie is like.

The requisite spoiler warning at the top, seems almost redundant, since this movie spoils itself with an unconvincing and confused plot hopelessly marred by the most dramatic, involved, and exciting sequence of the movie turning out to be a "dream" or a delusion of the major character. During this schizoid episode,the hero, played by Robert Cummings, imagines he has run away to Cuba with the gorgeous wife (Michele Morgan) of his gangster employer (Steve Chochran). Not long after they arrive in Havana the dame is stabbed to death in a bar, he is accused of the murder, runs from the police, and witnesses another brutal murder in a pawn shop. At this point he suddenly wakes up in his room back in the States, swallows a handful of pills and beats it over to the nearest military hospital to have a chat with his psychiatrist (Jack Holt). Turns out, the hero, a WWII veteran, is suffering from either a head injury or what is now called post-traumatic stress syndrome. Which it is, like much else in this movie, is not clear. There was never any warning this lengthy sequence, in which a major character was killed, was a dream. Nor was there any warning Cummings' character was prone to psychotic episodes, unless you count an early scene in which he is seen to be undramatically popping a couple of pills. Now the movie takes up where it left off before the "dream sequence" with the beautiful moll still alive and waiting to be swept away to Havana. This is cheating by the movie makers. Another reviewer stated that he thought at first a reel had been left out, and such an impression is perfectly understandable.

The Chase is ultimately an unsatisfying, slow-moving (except for the irrelevant dream sequence), and uninspired. It was a waste of a talented cast, a lot of noir atmosphere, and what would probably been good cinematography if one had a well-restored DVD copy. Recommend only to the following types: 1) Hard drug trippers and down and dirty alcoholics. The confused, disconnected, unreal atmosphere may seem normal to you. 2) Peter Lorre cultists. As gangster Cochran's sinister, chain-smoking henchman, he gives one of his best and least hammy performances. 3) Wide-eyed, doctrinaire film class graduates who can be convinced any unconventional movie, no matter how silly and pointless, is "arty". 4) Die-hard fans of old black and whites, such as yours truly, who will watch almost anything from that golden era.