Noutions
Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .
ChicRawIdol
A brilliant film that helped define a genre
Curapedi
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
Michael O'Keefe
This crime drama directed by Phil Karlson has elements of comedy. Street-smart Sherry Conley(Ginger Rogers)is a gangster's moll that makes the best of being put in a tight spot. U.S. District Attorney Hallett(Edward G. Robinson)has Miss Conley temporarily released from prison to get some testimony for the upcoming trial of her boyfriend Ben Costain(Lorne Greene). Sherry finds herself put up in a swanky hotel with room service and Hallett tries to pressure her for just a bit of information, but she has smart quips and a healthy appetite. The D.A. has a cynical Detective Striker(Brian Keith)pull guard duty as Miss Conley has a few attempts on her life. Striker is so attentive, Sherry is smitten.Rounding out the cast of this Columbia Pictures Film-Noir: Peter Leeds, Katherine Anderson, Doye O'Dell and Lucy Marlow.
dougdoepke
I love it when Mississippi Mac bangs out a tune on his head using a rubber mallet, a clever touch getting comedy relief from a TV parody of a country and western telethon. Otherwise, it's a pretty somber movie and extended showcase for Rogers then coming off a reverse blacklist of Hollywood right-wingers. As it is, Rogers gets ninety minutes of snappy dialog with more brass than spent cartridges on a rifle range. But, frankly, all the tough talk and attitude does get tiresome despite her spirited effort. The fact that she's 40-something and starting to bulge strikes me as just right for the aging party-girl part. Remember, Sherry (Rogers) is supposed to have been around the block more than a few times and is now looking back over what she suspects is a misspent life. That's what makes her otherwise hardened character rather poignant and vulnerable. What a shrewd piece of casting to pair the high-key Rogers with the low-key Bryan Keith. At this career stage, Keith was one of the more subtle actors around, able to convey a lot by doing very little. Director Karlson apparently liked him too, casting him also in his 5 Against the House (1955). And for Robinson and Rogers, it must have seemed like old home week at Warner Bros.But truth be told, cult director Karlson is wasted in a crime drama that any one of a dozen lesser directors could have handled. At the same time, I didn't see the major plot twist coming which strikes me as the most memorable part of a too-stagey film; although, like other reviewers, that family spat with sister Clara (McVeagh) is a real barn burner and high point. Anyway, the film's an okay crime story that really serves as a vehicle for a Ginger Rogers career revival.
Jay09101951
This film is among the group of "B" crime noir movies that Columbia made in the early 1950's such as "The Big Heat" and "The Mob". It has the same taught story and good acting. Clearly nearing the end of her film career, Ginger Rogers is very good playing a mob witness that has had enough of the justice system and needs to be convinced that by telling what she knows in court, she can do something good for maybe the first time in her life. It should be noted that Edward G. Robinson was trying to recover his lost career after being black-listed by HUAC and "B" movies were the best roles he could get until he was cast by Cecil B. DeMille in the Ten Commandments after the release of this film. Brian Keith, best known as "Uncle Bill" in the late 1960's TV show "Family Affair" is also quite good in his role as a police Lt.
blanche-2
Ginger Rogers is in a "Tight Spot" in this 1955 film directed by Phil Karlsen and also starring Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith and Lorne Greene. Rogers plays Sherry Conley, in prison for harboring a fugitive. When the big witness against a mobster (Greene) is killed, she's asked to be a witness against him so that he can be deported. She realizes the danger, but stalls in making her decision because she's in a hotel and can order room service and take private showers. Also, one of her guards, Vince (Keith) is attractive and there appears to be a chemistry there. After a couple of murder attempts, she wants to go back to prison."Tight Spot" isn't exactly an "A" movie; it's more like a B+ - it's filmed in black and white and fits into the noir genre. However, it's based on a play, and it's obvious - the scenes aren't opened up at all, and there's a ton of dialogue. It doesn't appear that Karlsen directed either Rogers or Eve McVeagh very well. Both actresses approach their roles as if they're doing them for stage; the effect is over the top.Ginger Rogers was a wonderful actress and a very versatile one. Like all female film stars, the roles became a little less interesting after she turned 30 and all but disappeared when she turned 40. She's 44 here, playing someone younger, and she is very effective if a little overdone in parts. Robinson is great as usual, and a young Keith gives a relaxed performance. Greene was cast as a villain often until he played Pa Cartwright. At the age of 45 when the show started, he was 13 years older than Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts). After that, he played fathers, and producers didn't care whose father -Ava Gardner's, for instance, in Earthquake. He was seven years older than Ava. He does a good job here in a fairly one-dimensional role.All in all, okay.
