T-Men (Film Noir)
Picture: B-
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Film: A-
Anthony Mann made two of the best B-movie Film Noirs
during his prolific career, those being T-Men
and Raw Deal. T-Men
was the first of the two pictures in 1947 followed the year after with Raw Deal
and both starring Dennis O’Keefe. T-Men
is worth rediscovery, especially with the camera work of John Alton’s
documentary texture added to the gritty nature of the storyline making for one
sweet film package.
O’Keefe plays a tough agent who is infiltrating a gang of
bad guys, but earns their respect, but must still take down the guys that he
has grown to know. The film almost
serves as a blue print for another great film like William Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A., which is also
a must see/must own film. You can also
see an except from this film is Martin Scorsese’s excellent documentary A
Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies.
You can pick this DVD up really inexpensive from VCI and
you might even find it residing in some budget bins, but don’t let that detract
you at all. The DVD picture quality is
standard, but considering its age and the age of this DVD, it’s better than
expected. The 1.33 X 1 full frame image
shows signs of aging, and video black is not nearly as dark as it should
be. It is better though than other
titles I have seen of this age and detail, while soft at times, still looks
pretty darn good. Also keep in mind
that the texture of the film is suppose to have a gritty grainy character to
it, so grace is slightly required in that regard.
The 2.0 Dolby Mono really shows age, as there is hiss and
background noise that can be somewhat annoying. However, at least it never becomes too harsh and maintains a
relatively good recording level at all times.
The only extras are for other Film Noirs, but
unfortunately not for this film. The
real extra though is a 2 part video essay that is concluded on Raw Deal from Max Allan Collins and is
a must!!! T-Men is definitely a good starting point and if you enjoy this you
will certainly want to jump right to Raw
Deal, reviewed on this site as well.
- Nate Goss
