Finger Man (1955) User Reviews

Lovejoy, Castle best things about late, no-nonsense noir

[bmacv · 7/10 · 13 April 2002]

Frank Lovejoy, a petty criminal out after his third stretch in prison, gets lucky on a new gig hijacking a truck. The cops catch him - he dropped a cigarette pack covered with his fingerprints - but offer him a deal. If he can bring in mob kingpin Forrest Tucker, they'll let Lovejoy walk.

Not one to sing, Lovejoy turns them down until he meets up with his sister, strung out on the dope Tucker pushes. With the help of Peggie Castle, alumna of Tucker's stable of doxies, he makes himself known to the boss and gets a job running bootleg hooch. Something of a hothead, Lovejoy manages to rub Tucker's henchmen the wrong way, particularly Timothy Carey as his usual psychotic torpedo. As the movie nears its climax, the police wire Lovejoy to tape Tucker at the same time Tucker, his suspicions roused, decides to put Lovejoy on the hit list....

Coming late in the noir cycle, Fingerman avails itself of the flat, brutal style of 1950s crime dramas. So there are no unforgettable characters or characterizations, no flamboyant cinematic set-pieces. But the storytelling stays hard and unsentimental, with a fairly high quotient of violence. And the cast does well with what's written for them. Lovejoy (The Hitch-Hiker, Try and Get Me) does the laconic, low-key noir protagonist - he's good at the basically decent guy in over his head, while Carey creeps us out (his specialty).

Best of them is Peggie Castle, usually a hard-boiled blonde but here, as a woman with a past who wants a good future, she reveals an unexpected subtlety and ambiguity in her portrayal. She also gets the best shot in the film: Leaving Lovejoy's apartment, she disappears poignantly into a desolate urban nightscape. It's the last time we see her alive.

Familiar but serviceable crime drama...

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 7 February 2023]

...with Frank Lovejoy as a small time hood, facing permanent time in the slammer, who agrees to do undercover work for the Treasury Department to nail a big time gangster responsible for turning his sister into a junkie. The gangster, played by Forrest Tucker, is pretty much behind all the corruption in town, gambling, prostitution, drugs, murders, you name it. Pretty Peggy Castle is cast as a girl who has been around the block more than a few times, with underworld connections, who agrees to help introduce Lovejoy, a guy she likes, to Tucker.

You've seen this kind of crime drama before. This one does have some gritty street atmosphere, and an okay lead performance by Lovejoy. It would, in truth, be easy to dismiss this film if it wasn't for the scene stealing supporting performance of a typically over-the-top Timothy Carey as Tucker's chief enforcing goon. Carey's face twitches so much you think he might have a facial nerve disease, and if he isn't doing that he's cracking his knuckles. You can't take your eyes off him.

When Lovejoy finally goes mano a mano with Carey the latter falls apart, whimpering like a baby. But he does this over the top, as well, cringing and wailing, and putting on such a spectacle that you almost feel like you need a pair of ear plugs. It's also a little weird seeing a man who seems three quarters Carey's size having such total domination of him.

Good example of 50s crime-busting movies

[XhcnoirX · 7/10 · 2 March 2016]

Veteran small-time criminal Frank Lovejoy gets busted for hijacking a truck he stole. Because of his prison track record, both in doing time and in refusing to be a stool pigeon, he's given the choice: life in prison or help the feds take down big-time crime boss Forrest Tucker. They also tell him to look up his sister Evelyn Eaton, who's now a drug addict, and Tucker's the supplier. Lovejoy has no choice but to accept. Through his old flame Peggy Castle, who was once employed by Tucker as a call-girl, he gets a position in Tucker's organization where he can try and find something concrete on Tucker.

There are tons of these noir(-ish) crime movies where someone infiltrates a crime ring in order to bust it from the inside out. This one's above-average. Within the confines of the Production Code it does all it can to make Tucker's business as seedy and lowlife as possible, by showing the sister's addiction as well as Tucker disposing of a prostitute he cannot use anymore. There's nothing redeeming about this crime boss, but he's also not some crazed lunatic.

The acting is solid across the board. Both Lovejoy ('The Hitch- hiker') and Castle ('99 River Street') are good, playing hardened- by-life characters but with human emotion under the exterior (in Lovejoy's case pure rage, Castle wants to settle down but knows her past will always come back to haunt her). Tucker (in his sole noir?) plays it straight and understated, giving his character a mean edge, even when he doesn't talk. Tucker's sidekick is none other than Timothy Carey ('The Killing'), who has some very nervous fingers in this movie. But as much as I like seeing Carey being Carey, his hyperactive acting felt kinda misplaced here, it's too big a contrast.

The movie looks pretty good, especially the nighttime scenes are well-done. Lovejoy does some nice voice-over narration with lines that could've been pulled straight from a 40s pulp novel. There are no surprises tho, altho there rarely are in these 'expose'-type noirs. Director Harold Schuster did a similar noir a few years late, 'Portland Expose', but this one's better. DoP William Sickner ('Cry Vengeance') does a solid job, and together they occasionally craft a beautifully-looking scene (the one where Castle walks into the night is tender and doomed at the same time).

Overall, it's not a classic, but it's a good example of this type of crime-busting movies. It's competently made and acted, looks good and does more than enough to keep one's attention. It's not a movie with a lot of re-watch value tho, what you see is what you get. Still recommended. 7/10

Sad Eyed Peggy Castle

[kidboots · 7/10 · 18 May 2019]

Casey Martin, soon to be a four time loser after carelessly dropping a packet of cigarettes close to the scene of a highway robbery, is given an offer too good to refuse by the cops - either help to nab vicious mob boss Dutch Becker (a garrulous Forrest Tucker) or spend the rest of his life in prison. A visit to his drug dependent sister who names Dutch as the person who got her hooked convinces Casey to become a finger man. He is also reunited with a former girl friend Gladys (Peggy Castle). Castle is so lovely and fragile in this and is the reason to watch - she has been involved, as a B girl, with Dutch's activities but is more than willing to believe in a brighter future with Casey. She has an emotive highly charged scene where she threatens to blow the gang's doings sky high. She is over heard by Lou, a twitchy edgy psychotic, the gang's strong arm man and as played by Timothy Carey, he seems to relish his character a little too much. His hair trigger temper is responsible for much of the violence, another instance is when a hostess is supposed to be a squealer "I'll work her over so she isn't pretty for a while" is chilling. Then there is Dutch's infatuation with an obviously under age girl - this is a brutal and gritty noir. Frank Lovejoy was so good in these little noirs!!

Is It Too Late For Lovejoy in This Crime Drama?

[boblipton · 6/10 · 21 November 2018]

Frank Lovejoy is a three-time loser whose fingerprints have just turned up at the site of a truck heist. The Feds give him a choice: a lifetime in prison or help them get the dirt on mob head Forrest Tucker. Lovejoy has never talked, but when he sees what happened to his sister, Evelyn Eaton, he agrees. He gets Peggy Castle, with whom he has begun an affair, to introduce him to the big man.

Harold Schuster directs this as a straight, tough, ugly crime drama, where everyone is twitchy, except for Tucker, who talks emotionally of loyalty and honesty and has people killed. Lovejoy plays the role as a man about to explode at any moment, and knocks a few people down with his fists.

It's a very handsomely directed B, but it's too cheap and it came too late for anyone to break out. Schuster had directed some terrific westerns, and would soon get his shot in the Tarzan franchise.... and then settle down to TV work. Likewise Tucker. As for Lovejoy, he had the look and voice for the RKO B noirs, but that was five or ten years in the past; he already was performing on TV, and he would die in 1962, just 50 years old.

The law wants Casey Martin to finger Dutch Becker....and NO, this is not an 'adult film'!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 31 March 2018]

Times have changed and one of the stranger examples is the poorly named film "Finger Man". While today such a movie would clearly incite giggles (especially since it starred Frank Lovejoy), back in the day it was a taut crime drama...and perhaps one worth your time.

When the story begins, ex-con Casey Martin (Lovejoy) is identified as participating in a robbery. However, instead of locking him up, the authorities offer to give him a walk...if he'll help them catch the mobster, Dutch Becker (Forrest Tucker). Martin is no squealer...but when he learns that his sister is addicted to smack...heroin provided to her by Becker, Casey decides to help bring him to justice. As he puts it, it's a choice between 'life in prison or probably a bullet in the head! However, he goes very slow...very easy in order not to scare Dutch off and so that he'll win his trust.

While the film lacks the dark look and film angles used in classic film noir, it is tough enough to be noir...and the story is well worth seeing. Not among the very best crime films of the era, but still quite good. Lovejoy was a terrific actor--too bad he died so young.

Almost 90 Minute B Features Solid Dark Story

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 16 January 2020]

It isn't hard to imagine Forrest Tucker as a mob king the way he plays him here. Though he is in the background until late in the film, he is the unquestioned boss. Frank Lovejoy plays the 3 time loser who the cops give a choice, life sentence or bring Kinpin Tucker down. Some strange casting as his main body guard seems a little like Corporal Agarn on F Troop, except Timothy Carey is even less intelligent.

The lovely Peggie Castle is the romance hottie with Lovejoy. Seems she worked for the king pin, but has fallen for Lovejoy. Then she knows too much, and well, the mob always takes care of anyone who knows too much. There's a quick uncredited appearance by Lisa Martell, a stunner but here is playing a minor telling the kin pin she is 21. Her curves indicate she is older, not younger.

In a way, the Castle role is a mirror image of her life, as she drank herself to an early grave. This one kills her quicker. There's several dead bodies, and when the kin pin is nailed at the end, he swears Lovejoy won't be around for long. If you think about it, finger men is not an occupation which would have a long life span. Not a bad way to spend this one, as 3 writers put this one together for the film.

Casey and the Moonshine Band

[kalbimassey · 7/10 · 4 May 2022]

Does the perfect crime exist? Casey Martin (Frank Lovejoy) appears to be intent on discovering the hard way that it doesn't. Having just spent nine years behind bars, he executes an efficient highway heist, only to snooker himself via a discarded cigarette pack, falling foul of both the police and the Treasury Department as a repercussion.

Lovejoy is offered the choice of a lifetime in the slammer, or a liaison with the good guys to bring down big time operator Dutch Becker (Forrest Tucker). Just one small problem....he's likely to catch a bullet, or six doing it. At the risk of winding up with more holes than a colander, he takes his chance to nail the ruthless, string pulling kingpin.

The former jailbird launches himself gamely into the double dealing, fast talking, hard drinking, heavy smoking, moll mangling, fist flailing, sharp shooting, underhand, underworld sewer dominated by heavy weight Tucker, replete with his entourage of hoods, hookers, hostesses and hangers-on. Tucker is the manipulative button pusher behind illegal hooch and gambling rackets across nine states, who, in a calm, reassuring manner asks only for honesty and loyalty from those on his payroll. Unsurprisingly, any disloyalty results in rather more than a fatherly arm around the shoulder and a quiet corrective word of advice.

Access to the big shot's tawdry activities involves developing an intimacy with beautiful Peggie Castle, who finds herself walking on increasingly thin ice as a consequence. Lovejoy also experiences a seething reacquaintance with Tucker's sidekick, long faced, lugubrious and latterly lachrymose Timothy Carey.

Not outstanding or exceptional, but consistently engaging and entertaining. Finger lickin' good!

Tough-guy mob intrigue in an underworld of hookers and illegal hooch

[declancooley · 7/10 · 11 May 2022]

A minor classic of sorts with 'hidden-gem' vibes, this fast-paced undercover informant cops-vs-mob movie, features memorable characters and locales, some excellent noirish shots here and there, plus an almost sociological view on this gang of hoodlums and its vices. Unusually, the musical score caught my attention with some expressive work that is superior to what one might typically expected from this kind of B-movie. Poignantly, a quote at the end from our protagonist (in voice-over, which appears sporadically throughout the movie) brings a frisson when you know that the actor died not very many years afterwards. Recommended.

Tame mechanical dialogue with weak casting and a lame ending

[scottdou · 3/10 · 29 October 2019]

The dialogue was very canned-not natural/full of platitudes and for the good looking Ms. Castle to fall for the ordinary looking Mr. Lovejoy was not believable. Forrest Tucker did not come across as the evil mob boss he was supposed to be playing and his lines were mechanical and delivered mechanically. As someone else here mentioned, the casting of Lovejoy as a crook was not credible as he came across as too nice a guy but his quick fists were also not credible as he was always hitting bigger guys. The ending of the movie was pretty lame/not very imaginative at all. Not exactly Jimmy Cagney in White Heat.

"Is there room in the world for people like us?"

[clanciai · 10/10 · 12 May 2018]

The question is asked by Lucille in her last scene, as she lies in the hospital to be detoxicated, and she is in hell. She is one of many female victims of Dutch Becker (Forest Tucker) who "owns" fallen girls "body and soul" all over the country, according to the police only in nine states. Frank Lovejoy as a frequent jailbird gets a chance for a clean slate if he helps the police to frame Dutch Becker to make it stick. That is the plot.

It's a grim film of spartan conciseness, and there are many interesting minor details that are important but risk getting bypassed by the action. All the scenes with Gladys Baker (Peggy Castle) are captivating, especially the last one, the longest shot in the film. In fact, it's all the expressive scenes with the women (and they are not many) that makes the film magic and of lasting interest beyond the limits of its time and age.

Frank Lovejoy reminds in this film very much of Eddie Constantine, the forerunner of James Bond but with a school of hard knocks behind him and a scarred face, that ultimately ruined his career. Frank Lovejoy has no scars, but he does have knuckles and uses them frequently. You simply have to love him, and the more for each trouble he starts.

The music is also outstanding, excellently composed and suited perfectly to every scene. This is a great film on a small level that will outshine most film of the period that were made to be more spectacular. This is a noir down to basics and extremely efficient as such.

Very good minor Film Noir

[mackjay2 · 7/10 · 31 March 2024]

Hold-up offender Casey Martin (Frank Lovejoy) is nabbed by police and offered 'redemption' if he goes undercover with the local mob and leads them to the kingpin Dutch Baker (Forrest Tucker).

It's an oft-told tale in Film Noir and it's pretty well handled here by an able cast that includes Peggie Castle and Timothy Carey. In typical 50s style, the movie has a brighter look, with few of the darker, urban settings, until the end, and the direction is pretty anonymous. Although IMDb says Frank Lovejoy was 5'11 he is towered over by Tucker and Carey. In more than one scene, Lovejoy pummels much bigger men and it looks, at best, improbable. His character is a hothead, so we can accept it for the sake of the plot. Lovejoy was a solid actor, who also excelled playing a similar role in I WAS A COMMUNIST FOR THE FBI (one of the better films in its sub-genre). Tucker was one of the unsung great actors of his period, and he's great here as the self-important crime boss. As for Carey, he's doing his trademark psychotic type, used for dirty work by Tucker. Beautiful Peggie Castle is impressive as a mob-girl with a past she'd like to forget.

Middling B pic with Cagney-like Lovejoy calling the shots

[adrianovasconcelos · 5/10 · 9 January 2024]

I know shamefully little about Director Harold Schuster but I can tell you that FINGER MAN has not turned him into a lost gem in my view. The acting is strictly standard from a cast where Frank Lovejoy seems out to outdo Jim Cagney, hijacking a truck with valuables at the start and promptly getting caught by police because of his smoking habit.

He should have known, even in the glorious days of cigarette acting, that tobacco is bad for you. Ignoring advice turns out to be oone of Lovejoy's main shortcomings but police force him to see his niece and sister, who are down and out because of a criminal kingpin called Dutch (Becker, not Schultz) who claims to control many bodies and souls all over US territory. And now police want Dutch fingered and served on a platter, and poor Lovejoy faces the unenviable task of identifying a villain he does not know, and that is the easy part of his mission! At stake: getting it right or joining a large number of souls already in the netherworld thanks to bad ol' Dutch...

This is where technology kicks in thanks to wiretapping, but not before Dutch has iced a couple of good souls. Thankfully, Lovejoy enjoys his more than fair share of beginner's luck, doing very little to hide his bugging tool, and, with leading questions, he gets Dutch to waste no time spilling the beans.

Alas, Dutch detects the listening device but he has no joy against Lovejoy, who had already boastfully announced to Dutch that he needed a strong man like him (Timothy Carey, Dutch's bodyguard, stood at about twice the size of Lovejoy, but the latter's Cagney-like pugnacious tenacity and sharp tongue made the difference and got him everywhere!)

Typical B cinematography, typical B script. 5/10.

pretty good noir-type film

[rclements3-2 · 8/10 · 15 August 2005]

Fingerman is a good example of a 50's style crime drama. The basic plot line is: a man who has spent a lifetime committing crimes is "back at work" after his latest release from prison. While committing a hold-up by hijacking a truck, he carelessly drops a pack of cigarettes on the road with his fingerprints all over them and is nailed by the feds. Given a choice to go free if he becomes a stool-pigeon, he has to decide if he'll work for the feds to nab a crime kingpin.

Although there are no major stars, the performances are mostly good. Frank Lovejoy specialized in this type of role, a cynical protagonist caught up in circumstances beyond his control. Forrest Tucker (as the crime boss) and Peggie Castle (as Lovejoy's girlfriend) do well also. Timothy Carey (one of the most bizarre actors in screen history) is a standout as a torpedo in Tucker's employ.

The direction is decent but not outstanding, yet there are a few good moments, such as when two of Tucker's henchmen toss an informer in front of an approaching vehicle. Much of the action occurs at night, thus adding to the "noir" feel of the movie.

The film is unquestionably dated, and may bore younger viewers who need explosions or special effects every five minutes, but if you like 50's crime drama, Fingerman is a good way to kill an hour-and-a-half.

"Fingerman" Points the Way as a Suspenseful Crime Film

[glennstenb · 9/10 · 9 January 2020]

"Fingerman" (1955) is a blunt, no-nonsense title for an excellently-crafted no-nonsense movie that seems to take itself just seriously enough to make it a little police-story masterpiece. The story of how an almost three-time loser agrees to a dangerous effort of nabbing an underworld kingpin for the Treasury Department is taut and dramatically exciting, with some "noir" thrown in for good measure. Crisp and convincingly delivered dialog is conducted in many 1950's-style locations, including night time streets illuminated by glowing street lamps, garish but yet swank nightclubs, dark back alleys, musty-appearing warehouse interiors, and small, dingy apartments, just to name some. We also get to see police techniques unfold and state of the art police equipment of the era put to good use. But best of all, we enjoy some really excellent character development, including relationships that grow in suspenseful ways, including the one between Casey (Frank Lovejoy) and Dutch (Forrest Tucker) and the one between Casey and creepy henchman Lou (Timothy Carey). Peggie Castle is likewise very watchable in her role. The carefully articulated music score is underplayed and successfully and unobtrusively adds to the suspense and the magic of the film. And one more added bonus is the sight of early 1950's Cadillacs and other vehicles, which punctuate the movie with even more compelling atmosphere. What's more, no annoying mistakes or problems in the positioning of actors or props made themselves apparent to this observer. So yes, this is a magnificent piece of film making on a less than grand budget and I can't imagine buffs of old films would not like it a whole lot.

Tough guy turns on mob.

[mark-460 · 8/10 · 22 December 2000]

"Casey Martin" can take the final fall for a life of crime or cut a deal with T-Men to go undercover. It takes a tough guy, up against the wall, to tackle the assignment. The actors and script follow through to deliver a good tale. It's surprising that major studios were still making Black & White films in 1955, but the format seems to fit this story.

Very good B film noir

[adrian-43767 · 8/10 · 10 April 2019]

FINGER MAN is an interesting example of a well made B film noir. Photography is a particularly strong point, reminiscent at times of THE THIRD MAN, with its long shadows, and the protagonist wearing a long coat, among other coincidental points.

Director Harold Schuster does a good job of keeping the film fluid and interesting, even if the actors are all of limited talent. Frank Lovejoy is unable convey any particularly recognizable emotion; Forrest Tucker is supposed to be a cunning criminal kingpin, but there is something less than convincing about his alleged ruthlessness; and pretty but otherwise forgettable Peggie Castle thankfully does not take too long to leave the film.

The story/script is credible, and the soundtrack better than usual in a B movie.

Obviously no masterpiece but certainly no waste of time, either.