Tight Spot (1955)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

That was an excellent one.

Overrated

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I have been trying to track down a lot of the hard to film 1950's film noirs that Edward G. Robinson appeared in. Found this movie online and bought it.Ginger Rogers plays a likable convict given the chance for early release if she testifies against a vicious crime boss (wonderfully played by pre-"Bonanza" Lorne Greene). Brian Keith is the tough cop assigned to watch over Rogers during her stay in a safehouse.Edward G. Robinson is good but underused in the supporting role of the District Attorney trying to get Rogers to testify.The majority of the film takes place in the safehouse. So it feels very stagy and talky at times. Don't watch this film to expect tons and tons of action.This is one of Brian Keith's earliest roles and he is very solid in it. The second of the film gets more exciting and watchable.Rogers is also solid but it is the supporting players in here (specifically Greene and Keith) that really give the best performances.Watch it if you come across it on a slow night like I did.

Tight Spot is an odd attempt at film noir featuring Ginger Rodgers as a tough dame whom District Attorney Edward G. Robinson is trying to persuade to testify against a mob boss. She vacillates over whether to testify while falling in love with the police officer assigned to protect her. Although the film keeps your attention, it suffers from a serious case of mood whiplash.Simply put, the film cannot decide until late in the game whether it is a comedy or a film noir. It alternates frequently between witty repartee by Ginger Rodgers and tense scenes of violence and conflict. For example, a shoot out in which an innocent character is killed is followed immediately by the cop teasing some witnesses. Similarly, the film opens with a shooting, but rapidly shifts to Ginger Rodgers making jokes while in prison. This indecision undermines the film's tension.Robinson and Rodgers do well with the characters they're given, and the film manages one clever twist towards the end that I didn't see coming. Nevertheless, this is a sub-standard, B-level programmer.

Everyone from the Director to the Well Worn Stars have done Better than this Half-Baked concoction of ill conceived notions in a mostly Chamber Pot Set. The Claustrophobia is ruined by cheap shots at Television that lighten the proceedings way too much.There are some effective Scenes and Set-Ups that evoke Film-Noir, but don't be fooled, this is another of those Fifties Crime Stories that are only echoes of that Cynical and Dark Post-War Genre. By the Mid-Fifties the Ambiance of Noir was Fading Fast and Purist will find only a few Films that can proudly be welcomed in the Pantheon.Ginger Rogers is the thing here. It is Her Movie and nothing will get in the way. More than a few times, in this Mediocre Movie, She goes over the top and leaves everyone else and everything trying to catch up. It all becomes rather tedious with some Standout Stuff peppering the proceedings. Worth a Watch but it it is an almost realized Success that never quite is.

I'm surprised that no one thought that Ginger Rogers was a bit like Judy Holliday in that she plays a rough and dumb blonde that says some wise and intelligent things. I thought the excellent dialogue kept you interested in the movie since most of it took place in a hotel room. Although I'm a big fan of Brian Keith, I thought his roll was too "Hollywood" in that in the beginning of the film he and Ginger Rogers intensely disliked each other only to then fall for each other. How many films has that happened? Bunch! Robinson was just excellent as always, no surprise there. Very good movie with excellent dialogue but no real surprises in how it ends.