★ 9 / 10
Very effective, tight thriller from director Don Siegel
Bruce M
Very effective, tight thriller from director Don Siegel. Direction and cinematography are first-rate, as is Eli Wallach as the sociopathic hood.
Very effective, tight thriller from director Don Siegel. Direction and cinematography are first-rate, as is Eli Wallach as the sociopathic hood.
★ 8 / 10
Fantastic West Coast noir from Don Siegel! The
Allan C
Fantastic West Coast noir from Don Siegel! The Lineup (1958) **** Movie version of a TV series I'd never heard of, but I watched this film because I'm trying…
Fantastic West Coast noir from Don Siegel!
The Lineup (1958) ****
Movie version of a TV series I'd never heard of, but I watched this film because I'm trying to watch every Don Siegel movie I've missed. Outside of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and his Elvis western, I really haven't seen many of his earlier studio films and have mostly seen his classic films of the '60s and '70s, such as DIRTY HARRY, CHARLEY VARRICK, or ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ. In this film, two detectives are on the trail of a psychotic criminal, Eli Wallach, who's leaving a trail of bodies in his wake as he tries to find a missing shipment of heroin before his boss kills him. Along for the ride with Wallach are his two stoolies, Richard Jaeckel and Robert Keith. Siegel is a master of action, and the chases and shootouts in this film do not disappoint. Siegel essentially invented the model action film with COOGAN'S BLUFF and DIRTY HARRY, but you can seeds of that tougher edge and more modern of sensibility here in THE LINEUP. Siegel also makes great use of the San Francisco setting, making extensive use of practical locations around the city he'd return to years later for DIRTY HARRY. It's also a tight little script by Stirling Silliphant, who, years later, would win an Academy Award for IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. Where the film loses its way is when it lapses into Dragnet-like police procedural, but outside of that, I'd never have guessed this was based on a TV series.
AI CAPSULE REVIEW: The Lineup is a lean, mean slice of West Coast noir, elevated by Don Siegel’s sharp direction, Eli Wallach’s chilling performance, and some killer San Francisco location work. Despite a few procedural detours, it’s a gripping, ahead-of-its-time crime thriller that hints at Siegel’s later action mastery.
★ 8 / 10
Surprisingly gritty and with more action than typical
nick s
Surprisingly gritty and with more action than typical movies of this era. The antagonist was great.
Surprisingly gritty and with more action than typical movies of this era. The antagonist was great.