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I was duped! Oh, not so much by the film The Enforcer (1951), but by my own expectations...you see, most all Humphery Bogart films I've seen have always had him playing a character on the wrong side of the law, or residing somewhere in the gray area...and given the title of this film, I had expected him to be some sort of underworld henchman type tasked with carrying out illegal tasks, but it was just the opposite...here he plays a district attorney, hot on the heels of a murderous gang for hire. Directed by Bretaigne Windust (Pretty Baby), and an uncredited Raoul Walsh - apparently, Windust fell ill a few days into shooting, and Bogart asked his friend Walsh (they worked together on such films like They Drive by Night and High Sierra) to step in until Windust could recover, which took several months, and by that time the film was finished. Walsh, seeing the film was meant to be Windust's big break, declined the directing credit. Also appearing in the film, along with the starring Bogart, are Ted de Corsia (The Killing, Baby Face Nelson), Roy Roberts (My Darling Clementine, House of Wax), Everett Sloane (Citizen Kane, Way of a Gaucho), and Zero Mostel (The Producers, The Hot Rock).
The story starts out with Dist. Atty. Martin Ferguson (Bogart) sitting on one of the most dangerous criminals of his career in one Albert Mendoza (Sloane). You see, Mendoza headed up a murder for hire gang, responsible for hundreds of missing persons, and Ferguson's star witness, the number two man in the operation, has just taken a dirt nap (that means he's dead...how did he die? Probably not the way you think). Stuck with the increasingly distasteful prospect of having to let Mendoza go (due to a recent shortage of witnesses), Ferguson revisits the files, determined to find something he can use to put Mendoza where he belongs, in the hot seat (no metaphor there, as the electric chair is often referred to this way). Thus begins a recounting of the story that lead up to where the film began, detailing how Ferguson, and his partner Capt. Frank Nelson (Roberts), came to be involved with Mendoza and his nefarious organization, and their efforts to take it down.
When the film first started, I was thrown by Bogart's role as someone on the right side of the law. It seemed so odd, and I was reluctant to accept it...also some of the dialogue seemed a bit jilted, especially the scene where Roberts character is waxing poetic about how the `system' favors the criminals in the need of actual evidence and witnesses to convict said criminals (this occurred after the untimely demise of their star witness). Yeah, I can see how that whole `evidence' thing can be a royal pain, especially if you know in your heart the person is guilty...shouldn't that be enough? I suppose I'd be more sympathetic if it wasn't for the fact you had a star witness, under heavily armed guard, within the actual courthouse, and despite all these measures, you were still unable to keep him alive. The film played up the `murder for hire' angle like no one had ever heard of it before, but was that just for the sake of the audience? I mean I would have thought this kind of criminal activity had been around for a while. Maybe I'm wrong (and it wouldn't be the first time). Mendoza's scenes where he's discussing his new business plans are interesting (especially to a budding criminal mastermind like myself), and he details positive elements like how after a murder, the police always look for a motive, or who's got the most to gain from the crime, but with murder for hire, the actual killer doesn't know the victim, has no apparent motive, and therefore should be almost impossible to catch...also, there's the aspect of having the goods on the person who put out the contract, as you have them in your pocket, so to speak, and can threaten to expose them if they don't acquiesce to any future demands. I also liked the somewhat detailed information on the inner workings of the gang, like why the avoided using guns, how the contracts were doled out, how the bodies were disposed (they had their own `undertaker'), etc. The film does start off a little slow, but soon picks up and barrels along at a good clip. The story is mostly told within flashbacks, and flashbacks within flashbacks, but expert directing manages to keep the viewer in tune with where the story is at, and what's going on...I've seen this technique used before, and it seems to me a pretty hairy thing to attempt, but if done successfully (like here), it works out really well, adding a lot of depth over your basic, linear plotting. This seemed an odd vehicle for Bogart, but maybe he wanted to try something a little different, but it felt like his presence was in a continual state of overpowering the role. By that I mean his abilities far outweighed the requirements of his particular character, but that's just my opinion. It doesn't really matter, as he carries the film beautifully, aided by a very strong, supporting cast including Roberts, who had quite a bit of spryness in his step given his age of about 50ish at the time the film was shot (watch for the scene when he chases down a wily criminal...he appeared to do most of the work himself, rather than using a stunt double). And keep watching, as the ending scenes are very thrilling. All in all a solid picture made better by great casting and a substitute director.
The full screen picture looks clean, although it seems the original aspect ratio was not preserved (there seems to be some minor clipping of the picture). The Dolby monaural audio comes through clearly, and the case lists English closed captioning. Included is a theatrical trailer for the film.
Cookieman108
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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DVD
April 30, 2013 "Please retry" | — | 1 |
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| $11.90 | $6.98 |
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DVD
October 9, 2006 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $15.84 | $13.85 |
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