Beautiful Mexican countryside .....

Dear Don Siegel,

I decided to check out some of your earlier work since I am a big fan of some of the films which you made in the 60s and 70s. So I got The Big Steal (1949) and The Lineup (1958). I watched The Big Steal a couple of days ago. I did not adore it but it did have its moments.

The film is about an army man (Robert Mitchum) who is accused of stealing money. While trying to hunt down the real thief in Mexico, the army man meets and falls in loves with the thief's fiancé (Jane Greer) while also being chased by another man. The film was made a couple of years after Mitchum and Greer united in Out of the Past (1947).

Unlike the tragic Out of the Past, The Big Steal is a fun film that offers some beautiful visuals of and car chases set in the Mexican countryside. Mitchum looks young and cool while Greer is rather matronly. For me, it was mainly a film of place more than anything else. The arid and slightly run down Mexican countryside and the beautiful hotels distracted my attention away from the repetitive cat and mouse games between the four characters and their interactions with amused Mexican police officials. You did not experiment much with the film's look or editing. We are mostly treated to static camera angles while fast cuts are used frugally. The film does not overstay its welcome and ends at 71 minutes.

I discovered some interesting trivia on IMDb - Originally, Lizabeth Scott had agreed to play the female lead. However, she bowed out after Mitchum was convicted for smoking marijuana, afraid it would hurt her career.

Best Regards,
Pimpin.

(6/10)