51 reviews
The oldest federal law enforcement outfit going are the Treasury Men, those intrepid folks who see that no one avoids paying the federal duties on various items or counterfeits our money. That was the subject that Director Anthony Mann decided to tackle in the documentary style made famous over at 20th Century Fox in such films as Boomerang, The Street With No Name, and The House on 92nd Street.
Over at Fox it was done for effect. But as good as T-Men is and it is a crackling good film, let's not forget the reason for John Alton's camera work with lights and shadows is because he and Mann were working on a B picture. These guys got creative because they had to. Later on Anthony Mann in the Fifties got some real good size budgets to work with in those technicolor westerns he did with James Stewart. You'd hardly know it was the same director.
T-Men involves treasury agents Dennis O'Keefe and Alfred Ryder going undercover to get a very slick group of counterfeiters. The murder of an informer brings the Treasury Department to the decision to use undercover men. They meet all kinds of criminal types of both sexes and in good noir style the tension mounts before they too become informed on.
Our good guys blend well into the criminal world in their performances. But the outstanding acting in T-Men is done by hit man Charles McGraw and Wallace Ford who is aptly nicknamed Schemer in this film.
This is definitely a film for fans of the noir genre.
Over at Fox it was done for effect. But as good as T-Men is and it is a crackling good film, let's not forget the reason for John Alton's camera work with lights and shadows is because he and Mann were working on a B picture. These guys got creative because they had to. Later on Anthony Mann in the Fifties got some real good size budgets to work with in those technicolor westerns he did with James Stewart. You'd hardly know it was the same director.
T-Men involves treasury agents Dennis O'Keefe and Alfred Ryder going undercover to get a very slick group of counterfeiters. The murder of an informer brings the Treasury Department to the decision to use undercover men. They meet all kinds of criminal types of both sexes and in good noir style the tension mounts before they too become informed on.
Our good guys blend well into the criminal world in their performances. But the outstanding acting in T-Men is done by hit man Charles McGraw and Wallace Ford who is aptly nicknamed Schemer in this film.
This is definitely a film for fans of the noir genre.
- bkoganbing
- Feb 25, 2006
- Permalink
This is one of the better examples of film noir cinematography. Once the introductions are over and the dramatization of the case begins, the film overflows with startling black-and-white contrasts and interesting camera angles. Director Anthony Mann and photographer John Alton were at the top of their game and the DVD transfer enhances their work.
The great camera-work more than makes up for the fact that the story is just so-so, the weakest of the three noirs the two did together on this 3-pack DVD (the others being, He Walked By Night and Raw Deal.) However, it does sport the typically-tough film noir characters and some great suspense over the last 10-15 minutes. What you have to wade through is the boring beginning but staying with it will be rewarding.
I thought the grim story could have used a little warmth, at least some wisecracking with some floozy "dame." But, no molls in this story this is man's gangster film all the way.
The great camera-work more than makes up for the fact that the story is just so-so, the weakest of the three noirs the two did together on this 3-pack DVD (the others being, He Walked By Night and Raw Deal.) However, it does sport the typically-tough film noir characters and some great suspense over the last 10-15 minutes. What you have to wade through is the boring beginning but staying with it will be rewarding.
I thought the grim story could have used a little warmth, at least some wisecracking with some floozy "dame." But, no molls in this story this is man's gangster film all the way.
- ccthemovieman-1
- Oct 23, 2005
- Permalink
This film is rather reminiscent of the excellent Alan Ladd Noir film, APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER (about a postal inspector infiltrating a murderous gang). In this case, the undercover work is done by two Treasury agents--Dennis O'Keefe and Alfred Ryder. I really liked these two as leads because despite being far from household names, the acting was excellent and believable. Also, true to Noir, they weren't exactly handsome guys--more like a tough average man instead of the usual non-Noir heroes.
O'Keefe and Ryder play undercover agents who are trying to infiltrate a gang of counterfeiters. It's dangerous work and they can't just arrest people because they have no idea who is in charge. Throughout the film, tough bad guys (such as Charles McGraw) and unflinching but realistic violence is present--as well as an excellent level of suspense. Unlike some Noir films, this one pulls no punches nor does it give way to sentimentality. This is a seldom-seen but exceptional film for lovers of the genre.
By the way, I had one minor complain and that was the terrible narration. My score for the film, because of this, is knocked from an 8 to 7. When the film began, a Treasury official gave an introduction that was VERY stilted and he simply couldn't read his lines well. Then, throughout the film, a different narrator spoke on occasion and just wasn't necessary to the film--it was a minor distraction.
O'Keefe and Ryder play undercover agents who are trying to infiltrate a gang of counterfeiters. It's dangerous work and they can't just arrest people because they have no idea who is in charge. Throughout the film, tough bad guys (such as Charles McGraw) and unflinching but realistic violence is present--as well as an excellent level of suspense. Unlike some Noir films, this one pulls no punches nor does it give way to sentimentality. This is a seldom-seen but exceptional film for lovers of the genre.
By the way, I had one minor complain and that was the terrible narration. My score for the film, because of this, is knocked from an 8 to 7. When the film began, a Treasury official gave an introduction that was VERY stilted and he simply couldn't read his lines well. Then, throughout the film, a different narrator spoke on occasion and just wasn't necessary to the film--it was a minor distraction.
- planktonrules
- Jan 12, 2007
- Permalink
Some nice shadowy photography by John Alton and a well-paced storyline directed with style by Anthony Mann, makes for a diverting crime melodrama in crisp documentary style that was popular in the early to mid-'40s. Think BOOMERANG, THE HOUSE ON 92nd STREET, 13 ROUE MADELEINE and other Fox melodramas of that era.
But this was done on a poverty row budget by Eagle-Lion with the usually light-weight actor DENNIS O'KEEFE in the sort of role usually handed to someone like Dana Andrews, Mark Stevens, John Hodiak or William Eythe if the film was made at Fox.
He's surprisingly good as a noir hero whose task is to infiltrate a counterfeit gang with another Federal man, posing as would-be counterfeiters, and thus providing a succession of suspenseful moments where our hero is in danger of being exposed as a T-man for the government. Even more effective, in lesser roles, are CHARLES McGRAW and WALLACE FORD. In fact, McGraw would have been an even better choice for the lead than O'Keefe, his tight-lipped bearing and impressive physique suiting him for the role of a dangerous noir hero.
June Lockhart has only a fleeting appearance in one brief scene but others in the cast are properly sinister or authoritative, according to the way the script depicts the supporting characters.
Summing up: Worth a look, but not at the top of the film noir greats due to a script that is only slightly above average.
But this was done on a poverty row budget by Eagle-Lion with the usually light-weight actor DENNIS O'KEEFE in the sort of role usually handed to someone like Dana Andrews, Mark Stevens, John Hodiak or William Eythe if the film was made at Fox.
He's surprisingly good as a noir hero whose task is to infiltrate a counterfeit gang with another Federal man, posing as would-be counterfeiters, and thus providing a succession of suspenseful moments where our hero is in danger of being exposed as a T-man for the government. Even more effective, in lesser roles, are CHARLES McGRAW and WALLACE FORD. In fact, McGraw would have been an even better choice for the lead than O'Keefe, his tight-lipped bearing and impressive physique suiting him for the role of a dangerous noir hero.
June Lockhart has only a fleeting appearance in one brief scene but others in the cast are properly sinister or authoritative, according to the way the script depicts the supporting characters.
Summing up: Worth a look, but not at the top of the film noir greats due to a script that is only slightly above average.
T-Men is yet another collaboration of director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton, a sizzling semi-doc done in the noir manner, it's the usual fed goes undercover story, and yet made with such verve and energy as to jump off the screen. The larger than life film-making, combined with the sober subject matter, almost tip this one into the realm of the surreal, as Mann and Alton were basically too talented for such mundane material, as essentially the script serves their talents, which are considerable, rather than the other way around. Routine as the story is, this is magnificent film-making.
One of the better documentary style noir thrillers that was popular in post World War II Hollywood. Reed Hadley gives a neat deep voiced narration, souding like some sort of law enforcement officer, but it's a bit much at times. Dennis O'Keefe stars as a federal agent disguised as a small time hood. His target- to nab counterfeiters. Anthony Mann keeps the story fascinating, as O'Keefe dives deeper and deeper into the underworld. The real star here is John Alton's superb black and white cinematography, using harsh, minimal light, he creates a world that just peeks out of pools of black.
Director Anthony Mann's hard-boiled, film noir approach coupled with the stylistic cinematography of John Alton make this semi-documentary tale of government treasury agents infiltrating a large counterfeit ring an exciting crime drama. Dennis O'Keefe is great as a hard-nosed agent who slowly earns the trust of the bad guys while his partner, Alfred Ryder, is his equal as the sacrificing newlywed whose duty to his country comes before his duty as a husband. The film offers a fascinating look into the world of undercover work and intrigue and even has an opening segment from the Treasury Office itself.
- FelixtheCat
- May 25, 2000
- Permalink
When the American Treasure Department finds that a gang in Los Angeles is making false currency, agents Dennis O'Brien (Dennis O'Keefe) and Tony Genaro (Alfred Ryder) are assigned to investigate the counterfeit gang using the identities of Vannie Harrigan and Tony Galvani in Detroit. Along their investigation they join the gang of mobsters trying to discover who the boss behind the scheme is.
"T-Men" is a great thriller labelled of film-noir. The documentary style is interesting and there are surprising twists along the story. The performances are great and the direction of Anthony Mann is top notch. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Moeda Falsa" ("False Coin")
"T-Men" is a great thriller labelled of film-noir. The documentary style is interesting and there are surprising twists along the story. The performances are great and the direction of Anthony Mann is top notch. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Moeda Falsa" ("False Coin")
- claudio_carvalho
- Jul 28, 2018
- Permalink
T-Men is directed by Anthony Mann and adapted by John C. Higgins from a suggested story written by Virginia Kellogg. It stars Dennis O'Keefe, Alfred Ryder, Mary Meade, Wallace Ford, June Lockhart, Charles McGraw and Art Smith. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography by John Alton. Plot finds O'Keefe and Ryder as dedicated Treasury agents assigned to go undercover to break up the counterfeiting ring at the center of The Shanghai Paper Case. Posing as low ranked hoodlums left over from a long thought of disbanded gang, the two men find themselves immersed in a dark underworld of violence and deceit. Getting in was easy, coming out alive is a different matter.
The first pairing of director Anthony Mann and master cinematographer John Alton, T-Men is tough semi documentary type film noir that manages to break free of its plot simplicity confines to become a fine movie. Beginning with a foreword delivered by a stoic Treasury official, the film initially feels it's going to be standard gangster/cops fare. But once our two intrepid agents go undercover and we hit the underworld, Mann and Alton shift the tone and the film becomes a different beast. The psychological aspects start to dominate the narrative, as both O'Keefe and Ryder cast aside their humanity to be at one with the grubby world. Under examination is the thin line between the law and the lawless, our two good guys are battling inner conflicts, their natural good instincts, but being bad has come easy. The edges of the frame have become blurred.
The psychological tints would mean nothing without Alton's photography, it's the key element and therefore becomes essential viewing for film noir aficionados. His deep focus chiaroscuro compositions are very striking, and tell us more visually than anything being said vocally. How he frames the heroic agents in the same shadowy light as the bad guys helps keep us the audience in deep with the shift from good world to bad world. This mise-en-scène style has taken over, it's a life force all of its own, and as good as O'Keefe, Ryder and McGraw (always great to see him playing the muscle) are, it's the photography that is the main character here. Mann does his bit, also, sweaty close ups and up-tilt camera work adding to the general disquiet hanging heavy in every room. While his construction of the films most shocking scene, involving a steam bath, is so good its been copied numerous times since.
Not as gritty as Raw Deal, which Mann, Alton and O'Keefe made the following year, but still as tough as old boots and cloaked deliciously with a shadowy beauty. 8/10
The first pairing of director Anthony Mann and master cinematographer John Alton, T-Men is tough semi documentary type film noir that manages to break free of its plot simplicity confines to become a fine movie. Beginning with a foreword delivered by a stoic Treasury official, the film initially feels it's going to be standard gangster/cops fare. But once our two intrepid agents go undercover and we hit the underworld, Mann and Alton shift the tone and the film becomes a different beast. The psychological aspects start to dominate the narrative, as both O'Keefe and Ryder cast aside their humanity to be at one with the grubby world. Under examination is the thin line between the law and the lawless, our two good guys are battling inner conflicts, their natural good instincts, but being bad has come easy. The edges of the frame have become blurred.
The psychological tints would mean nothing without Alton's photography, it's the key element and therefore becomes essential viewing for film noir aficionados. His deep focus chiaroscuro compositions are very striking, and tell us more visually than anything being said vocally. How he frames the heroic agents in the same shadowy light as the bad guys helps keep us the audience in deep with the shift from good world to bad world. This mise-en-scène style has taken over, it's a life force all of its own, and as good as O'Keefe, Ryder and McGraw (always great to see him playing the muscle) are, it's the photography that is the main character here. Mann does his bit, also, sweaty close ups and up-tilt camera work adding to the general disquiet hanging heavy in every room. While his construction of the films most shocking scene, involving a steam bath, is so good its been copied numerous times since.
Not as gritty as Raw Deal, which Mann, Alton and O'Keefe made the following year, but still as tough as old boots and cloaked deliciously with a shadowy beauty. 8/10
- hitchcockthelegend
- May 23, 2011
- Permalink
Shot and structured in a quasi-documentary style, this low budget noir from Eagle Lion pictures succeeds more than it fails, but still manages to fall just short. It takes awhile for it to heat up but when it does it shouldn't disappoint fans of hard-boiled and tough talking crime pictures. Much credit must go to Charles McGraw, who elevates the film to a higher level the minute he appears. Everything about this man bespeaks of film noir, and here as the head torpedo he's as nasty as they come.
What shoots this picture in the foot is the jumpy plot structure which is constantly filled in with unneeded voice over. The psychological inner workings and tension fail to ebb and flow every time the narrator fills in the blanks. With a bigger studio throwing more money at it this film might have been one of the A list classics, but made on the cheap as it was it remains just a better than average B movie.
What shoots this picture in the foot is the jumpy plot structure which is constantly filled in with unneeded voice over. The psychological inner workings and tension fail to ebb and flow every time the narrator fills in the blanks. With a bigger studio throwing more money at it this film might have been one of the A list classics, but made on the cheap as it was it remains just a better than average B movie.
An average noir film is made horrible through the use of narration that assumes the audience is stupid as a rock. Every single action the agents make, for the first half of the film, is narrated, explained, praised, and explained again for good measure. I mean they really, really hit you over the head with it. The agents don't just gather facts, the gather "facts to be used." They don't only take notes, they "memorize those notes." And on and on. This isn't radio: we can _see_ the agents going over the material! The jingoistic, condescending tone of the narration ruins what would otherwise be a fairly thrilling crime picture, with superb black and white filming and some graphic, spine-tingling scenes of violence.
This undercover-secret-service-agents-infiltrate-counterfeiting-ring film is heavily dependent on exceptionally fine noir lighting and camera work under the direction of Albert Mann which help to maintain a high degree of tension, notwithstanding its pseudo-documentary format (complete with voice-over narrator) and somewhat stilted acting. Wallace Ford is positively slimy in the supporting role of Schemer, a hood-fallen-in-influence.
- thesmothete
- Aug 5, 2001
- Permalink
T-Men (1947)
The official "government" voice of god narration is overwhelming here, and for me it kills the film. The photography is dramatic to the point of desperation--almost to make up for the stiffness of the rest of it, and I'm okay with a dull movie as long as it looks good. It doesn't make this a good movie, however, just one with lots of amazing scenes, well shot.
There is, of course, an important narrative here, as "T-Men" go after bad guys, going undercover and so on. Some of the scenes, as the narrator blabs on, are amazing--really terrific light, all different parts of the city including Chinatown, some steam baths, lots of dark interiors, a boxing ring, etc. There is some good roughing up going on, tough talk back and forth, and a gradually trust/distrust game as the T-Men infiltrate a counterfeiting ring.
The director is the admired Anthony Mann. Mann's noirs and westerns are both laced with a darkness that makes them really good, a cut above most of the others at least in the way he avoids blandness. That's worth a lot. And when this movie really gets going (after about half an hour, when the narrator recedes, though never disappears), it gets better.
The official "government" voice of god narration is overwhelming here, and for me it kills the film. The photography is dramatic to the point of desperation--almost to make up for the stiffness of the rest of it, and I'm okay with a dull movie as long as it looks good. It doesn't make this a good movie, however, just one with lots of amazing scenes, well shot.
There is, of course, an important narrative here, as "T-Men" go after bad guys, going undercover and so on. Some of the scenes, as the narrator blabs on, are amazing--really terrific light, all different parts of the city including Chinatown, some steam baths, lots of dark interiors, a boxing ring, etc. There is some good roughing up going on, tough talk back and forth, and a gradually trust/distrust game as the T-Men infiltrate a counterfeiting ring.
The director is the admired Anthony Mann. Mann's noirs and westerns are both laced with a darkness that makes them really good, a cut above most of the others at least in the way he avoids blandness. That's worth a lot. And when this movie really gets going (after about half an hour, when the narrator recedes, though never disappears), it gets better.
- secondtake
- Dec 12, 2010
- Permalink
Released in post-war 1947, "T-Men" is about two employees of the Treasury Department, back when it had a wider scope, including taxes, borders, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service. Counterfeiting was under its purview, and the film is a story about two agents who infiltrate the mob to stop its distribution of counterfeit money and revenue stamps.
The B&W cinematography has been called "noir", and rightfully so, despite the film's intrusive voice-overs and a documentarian presentation that includes a message from the Treasury Department itself. Thankfully, the acting is good and the camera work is stylish. After a slow start, the film becomes more interesting.
Watch for the cameo by June Lockhart.
Without the numerous voice-overs, "T-Men" would have been a much better film. Still, it performed well at the box office, and its success led to a CBS radio show.
The B&W cinematography has been called "noir", and rightfully so, despite the film's intrusive voice-overs and a documentarian presentation that includes a message from the Treasury Department itself. Thankfully, the acting is good and the camera work is stylish. After a slow start, the film becomes more interesting.
Watch for the cameo by June Lockhart.
Without the numerous voice-overs, "T-Men" would have been a much better film. Still, it performed well at the box office, and its success led to a CBS radio show.
T-Men (1947)
There are two reasons to see this movie: director Anthony Mann and cinematorgrapher John Alton. I don't know who is more imporatant, but the truly vigorous visuals are astonishing. They make the movie. In a way, you might think a noir depends on exactly this to survive. Maybe so. But there is a lack of character development that brings the plot down to earth. It's all about getting the bad guys, not about the drama faced by the leads. The documentary style is only interesting as an historical oddity. The serious voice-over basically drains the movie of more serious layers. Which is too bad, because I can easily picture the movie as a more straight up film noir drama, and succeeding really well. But we have what we have, a stiff and not unexciting crime drama. With photographic visuals that will blow you away. The progress of the plot has force even with the FBI inspired voiceover so this still operates as a narrative drama. And the intereference of this outsice intention diminishes as it goes, so it resembles a more usual movie over time. So give it a go, despite the drawbacks. The solid acting and intense situation almost make for the contrived style. In fact, some viewers might like the narration for its almost campy drama. But the photography, scene by scene, will surely with the day.
There are two reasons to see this movie: director Anthony Mann and cinematorgrapher John Alton. I don't know who is more imporatant, but the truly vigorous visuals are astonishing. They make the movie. In a way, you might think a noir depends on exactly this to survive. Maybe so. But there is a lack of character development that brings the plot down to earth. It's all about getting the bad guys, not about the drama faced by the leads. The documentary style is only interesting as an historical oddity. The serious voice-over basically drains the movie of more serious layers. Which is too bad, because I can easily picture the movie as a more straight up film noir drama, and succeeding really well. But we have what we have, a stiff and not unexciting crime drama. With photographic visuals that will blow you away. The progress of the plot has force even with the FBI inspired voiceover so this still operates as a narrative drama. And the intereference of this outsice intention diminishes as it goes, so it resembles a more usual movie over time. So give it a go, despite the drawbacks. The solid acting and intense situation almost make for the contrived style. In fact, some viewers might like the narration for its almost campy drama. But the photography, scene by scene, will surely with the day.
- JohnHowardReid
- Feb 14, 2018
- Permalink
It was great looking back at the 1947 photography of Washington, D.C., and the old vehicles being driven around. This film is like a documentary about the Treasury Department and its functions in 1947 and how their agents went into the field to stop fake currency, tax stamps and many more tasks. In this picture, Dennis O'Keefee,(Dennis O'Brien) takes on an assignment as an agent undercover who tries to seek out the big wigs who are running this phony money racket throughout the country. Dennis O'Brien tries to get in contact with a slimy character named, 'The Schemer' (Wallace Ford) who was a big time hood at one time and had slipped down the ladder of crime almost into the gutter. There is a brief appearance by June Lockhart, (Mary Genaro), who starred in the "Lassie TV Series". Anthony Mann was a great director on this picture and made many great films throughout his career.
- seymourblack-1
- Aug 6, 2011
- Permalink
- michaelRokeefe
- Jun 5, 2006
- Permalink
Iconic Film-Noir from Director Anthony Mann with Incredible Impressionistic Cinematography from John Alton. At the Beginning of the Post-War entries in the Genre it set a Stylized Template that would be Imitated for Years.
Not Enough can be said about the Alton Look of the Film. Silhouetted Darkness in front of Glaring Light gives the Impression of Another World Separated from but Linked to Reality in a Disturbing Dimension of a World Out of Sync. A Place of an Underworld that Preys Upon the Innocent.
Included in this Ground-Breaker of a Movie are Dennis O'Keefe Dragging on a Cigarette throughout as a Tough as Nails Treasury Agent, Charles MaGraw as a Sweaty, Immoral Thug, and Wallace Ford as the "Schemer" a Pulp Name if there ever was one.
Also, Not to be Denied and making an Impression as an Italian American is Alfred Ryder, very Convincing as an Every-Man doing His Bit for His Country.
This is one of those that all Film-Noir are Compared. It is Definitive and Dramatic with some Hard Bitten Violence and Hard-Boiled Dialog. The Setting of the City is Unmistakably Noir and the Atmosphere is Chilling and Disturbing.
The Opening where, in the Post-War World is another of those Contemporary Boasting that the Government, along with Dedicated Agents and the Latest Technology is a Force that is Leading the World Toward Democracy and Decency is a Flawed Pretension that is the Movie's Greatest Weakness. A Dated Technique that is a Bit Much for Modern Audiences.
That this Jingoism can be Ignored and listed as Inconsequential in the end is a Testament to the Raw Power of the Film, which is so Substantial as to make the Lesser Parts Rendered Remote and can be Forgiven.
This is Simply One of the Best of the Genre and Images from the Great John Alton Frame are Used Frequently to Illustrate the Look of Film-Noir.
Not Enough can be said about the Alton Look of the Film. Silhouetted Darkness in front of Glaring Light gives the Impression of Another World Separated from but Linked to Reality in a Disturbing Dimension of a World Out of Sync. A Place of an Underworld that Preys Upon the Innocent.
Included in this Ground-Breaker of a Movie are Dennis O'Keefe Dragging on a Cigarette throughout as a Tough as Nails Treasury Agent, Charles MaGraw as a Sweaty, Immoral Thug, and Wallace Ford as the "Schemer" a Pulp Name if there ever was one.
Also, Not to be Denied and making an Impression as an Italian American is Alfred Ryder, very Convincing as an Every-Man doing His Bit for His Country.
This is one of those that all Film-Noir are Compared. It is Definitive and Dramatic with some Hard Bitten Violence and Hard-Boiled Dialog. The Setting of the City is Unmistakably Noir and the Atmosphere is Chilling and Disturbing.
The Opening where, in the Post-War World is another of those Contemporary Boasting that the Government, along with Dedicated Agents and the Latest Technology is a Force that is Leading the World Toward Democracy and Decency is a Flawed Pretension that is the Movie's Greatest Weakness. A Dated Technique that is a Bit Much for Modern Audiences.
That this Jingoism can be Ignored and listed as Inconsequential in the end is a Testament to the Raw Power of the Film, which is so Substantial as to make the Lesser Parts Rendered Remote and can be Forgiven.
This is Simply One of the Best of the Genre and Images from the Great John Alton Frame are Used Frequently to Illustrate the Look of Film-Noir.
- LeonLouisRicci
- Oct 12, 2014
- Permalink
- Polaris_DiB
- Jun 28, 2007
- Permalink