secondtake Tall Target (1951)The simple idea of Anthony Mann approaching a crime movie about Abraham Lincoln made me seek this out. And it's great stuff, filmed with the lively, dramatic black and white of the time. And in a weird quirk, the leading man (played by Dick Powell) is named John Kennedy. Mann was just beginning his legendary set of eight Westerns with James Stewart.While not a bit a film noir officially, this is coming from that era, and has the dark, ominous feel of a good noir. Powell (a noir staple) plays a detective with a somewhat modern air (not 1861, when is when the film is set), and he some of that man alone against the world quality. And then, on top of it, this is a "train movie," one of that unnamed genre of films that is primarily or entirely set on a train, up and down the length in various ways (what one character with a drink in his hand calls "the longest bar in the world, New York to Baltimore").This one starts beautifully at night, and there is some terrific stuff just to look at, as the lights against the night sky are stark and the shadows heavy. The smoke and steam billows gray into the black sky. The plot, proceeding, is remarkably visual, too, with Powell looking for clues as things start to look increasingly ominous. There are some great side characters here, including Ruby Dee in her young elegance and strength. And then there are some side actors who play their caricatures a little too hard (like the train conductor, briefly, but several times). The cloak and dagger plot is fairly linear—the story is based on fact loosely, so there might not have been total freedom. But I'm not sure how many times on one train ride Mr. John Kennedy can get himself into a total lethal trap and then fight, trick, or luck his way out of it. But that's part of the fun of it, I suppose.And there is enough other stuff going on here to make it really interesting and beautiful. A surprise for me.

vincentlynch-moonoi This is a taut little who-will-do-it (as opposed to a who-dun-it). Based on real history, it's a fictionalized account of a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on the way to his first inauguration.Dick Powell plays a New York detective (well, actually a resigned detective) trying to track down a person or persons who are plotting to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on his trip to Washington for his first inauguration. Adolphe Menjou plays a new Colonel in the American Army, who, surprisingly, is part of the plot. Marshall Thompson plays a recent graduate of West Point who is a Southerner at heart, and may be part of the plot, as well. Ruby Dee plays a young slave girl. Leif Erickson is a part of the plot, but is killed early on. Will Geer plays a conductor, and the venerable Florence Bates a gossipy northerner.Much of the photography is at night, but is excellently done. It's a black and white film, but somehow that seems appropriate.Dick Powell's performance here is right on target. Powell made only 3 more films after this, although he didn't die (of cancer) for another decade. This is one of the best performances of his that I have seen.Paula Raymond is quite good as a Southern woman whose husband is involved in the plot. There is also a fine performance by Adolphe Menjou, who on occasion, could be extremely effective. Marshall Thompson is very good here, as well.If there is a complaint here, it's the ending. It seems to happen so quickly! It doesn't seem like you're at the end of the film, but end it does.

Tad Pole . . . as "John Kennedy" struggles to prevent the assassination of president-elect Abraham Lincoln before either of them appeared on American stamps and coins. Meanwhile, the spectre of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, of Lincoln's party, was prowling the narrow aisles of this flick's "Train of the Damned," looking for snitches and victims for his real life purge of any independent thinkers NOT willing to renounce freedom and Goosestep to his vat of suicidal Kool-Aid. During the filming of THE TALL TARGET, McCarthy's Hollywood henchmen got their clutches on TV's Grandpa Walton--Will Geer--who plays the train's conductor. Geer's dependents nearly starved to death as McCarthy's infamous Blacklist took food out of their mouths during the following 20 years. Who on this train gave into the Madness, concocting some false poppycock against Geer to save their own neck? Since TARGET's cast and crew lack such Snitch Hall-of-Famers as Reagan, Heston, Wayne, and Kazan, my money would be on Lance Beaufort or Col. Jeffers. But you can watch this gripping drama and decide for yourself.

David Allen "The Tall Target" (1951 MGM) starring Dick Powell and Adolph Menjou Is A Great "Thriller On A Moving Train" Movie! "Moving train movies" always work, and this is a good example.Abe Lincoln, elected but not yet in office, tries to sneak into Washington DC and must get past southern sympathetic and very hostile Baltimore Maryland USA on a train......assassins wait to shoot him during a planned Lincoln whistle stop speech from the rear of his train stopping briefly in Baltimore Maryland USA on its way to to Washington DC.Most of the movie takes place aboard the train, and most scenes show the passing scenery from the train windows.....the movie takes place mostly in the inside of the train's passenger compartments.Train movies are worth studying and comparing....."The Lady Vanishes" (1937 UK) starring Michael Redgrave, "A Hard Day's Night" (1964 United Artists) starring the Beatles, "North By Northwest" (1959) starring Cary Grant, "The Thirty Nine Steps" (1935 Gaumont) starring Robert Donat.....all great train movies which "move" because they take place in a visibly moving train (airplane movies can't compete with moving train movies, and neither can ocean liner and "ship" movies).Train movies require very good actors, and "The Tall Target" (1951 MGM) starring Dick Powell, Adolph Menjou, and Will Geer deliver the "good actor goods" in first class style.Train movies are an excuse for many facial closeups, and prolonged conversation and dialog sequences where two main actors in a small space (a train compartment, most often) talk back and forth, and have to sound interesting, convincing, and at the same time be visually interesting (i.e. the camera must "like" the actors.....put another way, the main actors must have "star quality" in train movies).Train movies also provide great chances for interesting and unusual character actors.....weird people traveling on the train main characters are stuck with....trains are claustrophobic, part of their charm and and dramatic usefulness in "train movies." Eccentric old ladies, obnoxious yet precocious children, beautiful ladies of various types, entertainers, uniformed soldiers......an excuse to use all the costumes in the famous Western Costume Co. (Hollywood) storage tower on Melrose Ave. located in Hollywood, Calif. USA. An excuse to beef up the monotonous, predictable scenery on trains, especially older ones usually dull and dark and claustrophobic."The Tall Target" (1951 MGM) takes place almost completely on board the insides of a moving passenger train, right to the end of the movie....the train is still moving as it enters 1861 Washington DC USA and the final "The End, Made In Hollywood USA, MGM Studios" credit flashes on the screen (BTW, MGM was located in Culver City, California, far away from Hollywood, Caifornia....not even a short automobile drive away....far away!) It's a good "moving train movie," and is worth seeing and comparing to other movies of its interesting, always successful type.--------------- Written by Tex Allen, SAG-AFTRA movie actor. Visit WWW.IMDb.Me/TexAllen for more information about Tex Allen. Tex Allen's email address is [email protected] Tex Allen Movie Credits, Biography, and 2012 photos at WWW.IMDb.Me/TexAllen. See other Tex Allen written movie reviews....almost 100 titles.... at: "http://imdb.com/user/ur15279309/comments" (paste this address into your URL Browser)