The defence The Big-Idea Head
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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The Big Steal
Crime · Thriller · 1949
Army Lieutenant Halliday, accused of stealing the Army payroll, pursues the real thief on a frantic chase through Mexico aided by the thief's ex-girlfriend and is in turn being chased by his accuser, Capt. Blake.
Movie details
The Big Steal
“Mitchum is HOT! - HOT...off location in the heart of Mexico...HOT...after a girl with a million-dollar figure!...HOT...at the nation's boxoffices...HOT...in his newest picture!”
1949 Crime · Thriller 1h 11m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.6 / 10
Community rating
Army Lieutenant Halliday, accused of stealing the Army payroll, pursues the real thief on a frantic chase through Mexico aided by the thief's ex-girlfriend and is in turn being chased by his accuser, Capt. Blake.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Big Steal?
For the defence
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Crime Wave
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Pushover
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A police detective falls for the bank robber's girlfriend he is supposed to be tailing.
They Made Me a Fugitive
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Odds Against Tomorrow
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An old-time crook plans a heist. When one of his two partners is found out to be a black man tensions flare.
Brute Force
Crime · 1947
Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Don Siegel
Written by
Daniel Mainwaring · Gerald Drayson Adams · Richard Wormser
Robert Mitchum
Lt. Duke Halliday
Jane Greer
Joan 'Chiquita' Graham
William Bendix
Capt. Vincent Blake
Patric Knowles
Jim Fiske
Ramon Novarro
Inspector General Ortega
Don Alvarado
Lt. Ruiz
John Qualen
Julius Seton
Court is in session
Put The Big Steal on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Sentimental Softie
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.