Tight Spot (1955) September 5, 2006
Posted by jackal in : Films, Film Noir , trackbackI read a review on IMDB which argued that Tight Spot is a potentially gripping noir thriller, scuppered only by the casting of then 44-year old Ginger Rogers in the lead. Having just watched it for the first time, I can see the point, but I don’t think it’s entirely true.
Casting a younger actress in the central role of Sherry Conley, gangster’s moll-turned-state’s-evidence, could have made for an equally interesting movie. I can easily picture it with Ava Gardner or Jean Peters, off the top of my head. To say that Rogers’ casting sinks the movie simply isn’t true, though. Yes, she’s a little too old for the role as written, but it’s not crucial: Sherry is a tough and cynical character, someone who has suffered one bad break after another; whether she’s 30 or 40 years old isn’t that important.
After a shaky few opening scenes with an ill-advised light - almost comic - tone, Ginger delivers a strong performance, her role played out largely in tense scenes in a small hotel room. Brian Keith, as the jaded cop assigned to protect her, is equally solid. The quiet scenes in which the pair discover an unlikely affinity are among the film’s best. Edward G. Robinson, as the DA trying to convince Sherry to testify, is as effortlessly good as you’d expect.
Tight Spot’s plot seems worn with overuse nowadays; the scenario of a key witness being kept under guard until they can testify at trial is one we’ve seen countless times, on TV as well as in film. It’s not difficult to guess the ending, and although there’s a nice twist midway through, most of the tension is generated by the solid performances, from tightly drawn characters, and Phil Karlson’s direction. A veteran of noirs like Scandal Street, Kansas City Confidential and 99 River Street, Karlson is well-suited to draw out the claustrophobia and tension from his script.
The new R2 DVD release from Sony looks very nice indeed: comfortably framed at 1.85:1 (much better than the full-frame TV copy I had), and with only occasional damage spots on view. Definitely worth a look.
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