Product Details

• Actors: Robert Mitchum, Don Siegel, Jane Greer
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Turner Home Entertainment
• VHS Release Date: October 16, 1991
• Run Time: 71 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302182891
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,124 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful programmer from RKO., April 19, 2002

By	Doghouse King "eddie_denman" (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews

Not quite noir, but not a pure caper either, this film cooks along at a blistering pace, and gets by on a great script, assured direction from Don (Dirty Harry) Siegel, and effortless charm.

Actually it does a lot more than get by. The dialogue is first-rate, the performances are fine, the locations authentic. And the momentum never ebbs. I liken the pace to a pre-code Warner Bros. meller.

It begins with William Bendix kicking in Robert Mitchum's door, looking for Army payroll he believes Mitchum stole. Mitchum denies it and they fight. Mitchum escapes the boat he had been travelling on and meets Jane Greer on the Mexican dock. The next few minutes mess with the audience's mind, as more characters are introduced: who did steal the money? Why? Where is it? Where are they trying to go with it?

Once the shifting alliances become set, it actually gets better. The narrative is more straightforward, but remains actionful and clever, an endless cat-and-mouse game between Mitchum and Greer, who are chasing Greer's wily ex-fiancee; Bendix, who is chasing them; with a Mexican policeman who is more savvy than he lets on is pursuing all of them.

There are a couple very nice vignettes which never make the movie seem episodic, including a three-sided battle of wits by a hotel swimming pool and a comical encounter with a Mexican road crew. There's a couple of shootouts, a nice car chase, some goats, more fisticuffs, a final batch of betrayals, and a romantic fadeout. Heist films could end happy in the black-and-white days, you see, and the good guys could win.

Later films may have become even more twisty, but they cannot match the entertainment value of this one from 1949.

The Big Steal reunites Mitchum, Greer and co-scripter Geoffrey Homes from 1947's Out of the Past, although the two offerings are completely different in tone. This one is basically light fare with a dose of hard-boiled; O of P was pure gloom. And overall, this is definitely a notch down from that classic. (Big Steal would have benefited from an antagonist of more presence, such as Kirk Douglas in O of P, in the role of Greer's fiancee.) But being a step below Tourneur's noir masterpiece still leaves it in very good stead indeed.

Buy the Big Steal- you won't be sorry.

P.S. Who owns the rights to all the RKO gems? And when will we see them released on DVD?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended!, May 22, 2005

By	Randa Beth (Mayberry, USA) - See all my reviews

I taped this awesome classic when it was playing on TCM, and am I ever glad! I went into it expecting nothing more than the enjoyable presence of Robert Mitchum, who I loved in Rachel and the Stranger. I was thrilled when I got this cat-and-mouse game surprise. I had never seen Jane Greer before, and could not believe how great she was. She had me hooked from the beginning, with her tough-girl, intimidating approach to the men in the film. Of course, she shows a softer side later on, but it doesn't diminish her initial impression. Watch this film, and you'll be glad you did!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mitchum at His Best, November 6, 2005

By	Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

One of the great stars of the 1940's, 50's and 60's was Robert Mitchum. His name is still fairly well known but he remains a star a notch below the big names of his era. Part of that is due to his tendency to make pictures that either didn't challenge his talent or allow it to really surface. I'm a big fan of his but I've wasted many a 90 minute time slot watching mediocre movies he starred in. I keep watching because when he's good, he's very good. I'm happy to add "The Big Steal" to the list of his better preformances. This is a movie that starts out with action, has plenty of mystery, romance, and a lot of intrigue. It helps that we aren't sure who the good guys and the bad guys are. The developing relationship between Mitchum and the able Jane Greer is well done. Some of their chatter while traveling is rather surprizing for a movie made in 1949. The Mexican characters that weave in and out of the movie are well-presented as well for a movie of that time. There may be an occassional reference to a middle-aged man as "boy" but these guys are smart, interesting, humorous (on a respectable level) and an essential part of the flavor of the movie. My Spanish gets rusty in North Dakota so I enjoy being able to watch a movie where it is a meaningful part of the dialogue. The movie maintains its' intrigue through to the end and leaves with a smile on our face.

Mitchum excels when he can be the quiet tough guy that starts nothing but finishes everything. He is great at wisecrcking comebacks and he's got enough of whatever it takes to play the romantic lead. When he got a decent picture, he was worth the price of admission. Watch "The Big Steal" and get an idea of why he was one of the best.