THE UNDERCOVER MAN [1949] [Limited Edition] [Blu-ray] [1949 / 2020] [UK Release] Terrifying Inside Story of America’s Most Brazen Criminal Rule!
Based on the original real life Federal Agent Frank J. Wilson’s pursuit of Al Capone, and ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ is a “film noir” classic from one of its master directors, Joseph H. Lewis including such films as ‘Gun Crazy’ and ‘The Big Combo.’ Glenn Ford plays a Federal Treasury Agent Frank Wilson charged with taking down a shadowy mob boss known only as the “Big Fellow,” only to find that the police have been paid off, and witnesses are getting bumped off. With solid support from Nina Foch, James Whitmore and Barry Kelley. ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ is a brilliant documentary-style thriller, a tale “told with the snarl of a machine gun!"
FILM FACT: ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ was based on an article titled “He Trapped Capone,” the first part of the autobiography Undercover Man by Federal Agent Frank J. Wilson, which was serialized in Collier's magazine in 1947. Many details were fictionalized. The timeframe was changed from the Prohibition era to the post-war era. Chicago became an unnamed fairly-nondescript big city. Al Capone was referred to only as the shadowy "Big Fellow" and photographed only from the rear and was a more diversified mobster rather than primarily a bootlegger (reflecting the change in US organized crime following Prohibition's repeal). Also, of course, IRS Criminal Investigator Frank Wilson became IRS Criminal Investigator Frank Warren. Nevertheless, the film authentically portrayed the efforts of Wilson's team to put together a tax evasion case against Al Capone, and in many respects, despite the name changes and nondescript settings, the film is a far more accurate depiction of the investigation than later films on the same subject like ‘The Untouchables.’ Time Out film guide lauded the film and wrote, “A superior crime thriller in the semi-documentary style beloved by Hollywood in the late 1940’s [the film] achieves an authenticity rare in the genre. Perhaps even more impressive is the acknowledgment that mob crime affects not only cops and criminals, but innocents too: witnesses are silenced, bystanders injured. And Joseph H. Lewis – one of the B movie greats – directs in admirably forthright, muscular fashion, making superb use of Burnett Guffey's gritty monochrome cinematography camerawork.”
Cast: Glenn Ford, Nina Foch, James Whitmore, Barry Kelley, David Bauer, Frank Tweddell, Howard St. John, John F. Hamilton, Leo Penn, Joan Lazer, Esther Minciotti, Angela Clarke, Anthony Caruso, Robert Osterloh, Kay Medford, Patricia Barry, Richard Bartell (uncredited), Peter Brocco (uncredited), John Butler (uncredited), Wheaton Chambers (uncredited), Marcella Cisney (uncredited), Michael Cisney (uncredited), Tom Coffey (uncredited), Tom Coleman (uncredited), Roy Darmour (uncredited), George Douglas (uncredited), Jim Drum (uncredited), Sidney Dubin (uncredited), Ben Erway (uncredited), Virginia Farmer (uncredited), John George (uncredited), Everett Glass (uncredited), Jack Gordon (uncredited), Sol Gorss (uncredited), Kit Guard (uncredited), Robert Haines (uncredited), Tom Hanlon (uncredited), Kenneth Harvey (uncredited), John Ireland (Narrator voice) (uncredited), Ted Jordan (uncredited), Paul Kruger (uncredited), Sam LaMarr (uncredited), Pat Lane (uncredited), Robert Malcolm (uncredited), Cy Malis (uncredited), Joe Mantell (uncredited), Paul Marion (uncredited), Irene Martin (uncredited), Allen Mathews (uncredited), Edwin Max (uncredited), Frank Mayo (uncredited), Daniel Meyers (uncredited), Silvio Minciotti (uncredited), Al Murphy (uncredited), Billy Nelson (uncredited), Brian O'Hara (uncredited), Joe Palma (uncredited), Franklin Parker (uncredited), Rose Plumer (uncredited), Ed Randolph (uncredited), Stella Razeto (uncredited), William Rhinehart (uncredited), Wally Rose (uncredited), Cosmo Sardo (uncredited), Bernard Sell (uncredited), Larry Steers (uncredited), Bert Stevens (uncredited), Bill Stubbs (uncredited), Glen Thompson (uncredited), Arthur Tovey (uncredited), William Vedder (uncredited), Peter Virgo (uncredited), Ralph Volkie (uncredited), Helen Wallace (uncredited), Harlan Warde (uncredited), Than Wyenn (uncredited) and Esther Zeitlin (uncredited)
Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Producer: Robert Rossen
Screenplay: Frank J. Wilson (article), Jack Rubin (screenplay), Sydney Boehm (screenplay) and Malvin Wald (additional dialogue)
Composer: George Duning
Make-up and Hair Department: Robert J. Schiffer (Make-up Artist) (uncredited) and Greta Ardine (Hair stylist) (uncredited)
Costume Design: Jean Louis
Stunts: Eddie Parker (uncredited)
Cinematography: Burnett Guffey, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black and White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
Audio Description: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 84 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Columbia Pictures / Powerhouse Films / INDICATOR
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ [1949] gives off an early vibe akin to Anthony Mann and his 1947 ‘T-Men’ film, thanks to a disclaimer reading something like this: Behind the big headlines are stories of ordinary men and women with extraordinary courage, and this picture concerns one of those men.
In the cracking of many big Criminal Cases – such as those of John Dillinger [American gangster], Lucky Luciano [Co-Founder of National Crime Syndicate] and Al Capone [nickname “Scarface”], among others – the newspaper headlines tell only the glamorous and sensational figures involver. But behind the headlines are the untold stories of ordinary men and women acting with extraordinary courage. This picture concerns one of the men Frank Warren.
However, the title is a bit of a misnomer. It is about government treasury agents, among them Frank Warren [Glenn Ford] and George Pappas [James Whitmore], but the real “undercover man” is the “stool pigeon” looking to spill the dope on the Big Fella — a stylized, faceless take on Al Capone.
Joseph H. Lewis’s picture plays as more of an updated (or out of date) riff on the “Untouchables” and the Al Capone story. Instead of guns constantly blazing, they’re trying to get to the mob kingpin another way: His taxes. Thus, it relies on the persistence of our protagonists to see the story to completion.
While the characterizations are worthwhile — Glenn Ford was born to play Frank Warren stalwart tough guy roll — the documentary-styled drama itself feels mostly stodgy and uninspired. Especially given the B mavericks pedigree for punchy and rather unnerving material with unconventional flourishes, it’s rather disappointing to admit this one feels quite run-of-the-mill — at least content-wise.
Director Joseph H. Lewis still develops engaging scenes from the outset including the botched rendezvous staged at the train station. After their crackerjack chomping canary gets it unceremoniously, Frank Warren finds himself back at square one and growing testy by the minute, because the mob has a big hand in everything, and they’re leaning on everyone.
It goes beyond police corruption or paying everyone off. Even as they run around looking for leads, there are tight lips all around, because everyone’s scared. They have good reason to be. They’re suspicious of authority as much as organized crime. What assurance do they have their lives will not be impinged upon. One of the movie’s most inspired figures is lawyer Attorney Edward J. O'Rourke [Barry Kelley], a paunchy, beady-eyed be suited fellow who oozes sliminess from his generally sociable demeanour.
While he’s not an out-and-out criminal type, he also has no morals. One foot is planted in the good citizen’s league and the other gladly helps the gangsters keep their stranglehold by wheedling out of all signs of trouble. He seems to also glean great delight by watching the government agents stand down, their hands normally tied. He always has a smart response for them.
Still, Frank Warren’s latest mark, Salvatore Rocco [Anthony Carus] — an AWOL husband who is currently courting a showgirl Gladys LaVerne [Kay Medford] — looks like his exorbitant greed might provide a bite. Salvatore Rocco’s willing to squawk for adequate compensation, and purely a two-bit opportunist. There’s only one way to deal with him. It’s one of the movie’s best set pieces as the informant races off, his daughter, Frank Warren, and his assailants, all sprinting after him through the midday crowds.
For Frank Warren, the job always gets in the way of his lovely marriage, and he and his wife Judith Warren [Nina Foch] especially suffer for it. They barely get any time together, and the rest of the time Frank Warren’s crammed in a lousy hotel room bickering with his colleagues. Back amid the tranquillity of his home life, he resolves to give up the whole business because the safety of his wife seems like too high a price to pay in the pursuit of justice. The visual dichotomy between the two spheres is especially evident due to Burnett Guffey’s characteristically stark photography.
Frank Warren’s decision could be the unceremonious end to the picture, but we get a bit more — a night-time visit. It is the obvious entreaty for him to consider the crusade. Frank Warren’s not one to see evil and run away with his tail between his legs. None of this is much of a surprise as we cycle through yet another bookkeeper, this time one Sydney Gordon [Leo Penn], who is on the lam with his newlywed wife Muriel Gordon [Patricia Barry]. The question is whether or not they can convince him to talk and if he does agree, can they even protect him?
The last few minutes are worth seeing through to the end of the movie, specifically because the action falls on the two most compelling characters in the whole story. For the first time, our hero has Attorney Edward J. O'Rourke on the back foot forcing his hand. He really is the crucial piece since, with the sides drawn up between the good guys and bad, he plays like the wild card. The ending is a foregone conclusion, although, on the road, there are several tense confrontations predating the more action-dominated days of Robert Stack’s ‘Untouchables.’
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Columbia Pictures, Powerhouse Films + INDICATOR presents us the film ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ with a really excellent 1080p black-and-white image that is very clean and a very good sharpness and a fine level of detail and of course it is shown in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Facial close-ups are impressive across the board, as are the textures of surfaces and clothing, which is helped with the professional cinematography by the brilliant Burnett Guffey, A.S.C. On top of all that, the contrast balance is generally very good, though there is some variance in the strength of the black level image. ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ is an extremely good Columbia Pictures feature film here. So all in all, Columbia Pictures, Powerhouse Films + INDICATOR have done a really good image transfer for ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN.’ Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Columbia Pictures, Powerhouse Films + INDICATOR brings us the film ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ with a standard 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio and it is “fine” throughout the film, and at least it sounds clean enough with no serious signs of damage, and dialogue is clear and easy to hear. This is wonderful, and it very smooth, unobstructed sound cleaner than films twice its age. The same goes for the wonderful composed film score by George Duning and is punctuated by pure highs in order to capture the tone of the atmosphere throughout the movie. Nothing impedes this audio track and is totally spot on.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ Audio Commentary with Tony Rayns [Audio only] [2020] [1080p] [1.37:1] [89:43] With this featurette, we get to hear from Writer and Film Programmer Tony Rayns who is here to talk about the excellent Glenn Ford film ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ and as the film starts, Tony Rayns introduces himself and informs us that this 1949 film was the 52nd highest grossing film in America in that period according to the Variety magazine and ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ very well for Columbia Pictures and its boss Harry Cohen. Tony Rayns also says there is some very interesting names in the credits at the start of the film and points out Screenwriter Sydney Boehm, Additional Dialogue Writer Malvin Wald and Cinematographer Burnett Guffey, A.S.C., and later on goes onto mention other important people that were very involved in the 1949 Columbia Pictures movie. But now Tony Rayns wants to talk about the fantastic director Joseph H. Lewis and also talks about some of the fantastic cast, as well all the other very important people that were very involved with the film and also categories the film also and whether it has a hint of French “autre” feel to the atmosphere to the film. Tony Rayns now wants to talk about the start of the film when we see the actor Glenn Ford get off the train with his wife Nina Foch onto a very busy train platform and there is a great crowd pushing past them with reporters chasing after the Big Criminal Boss as he gets onto the train and of course we do not find out who that person is until this scene is repeated right near the end of the film and this scene in the film is supposed to be based on a real incident event in America with the Mafia fraternity who of course get their true comeuppance and that scene on the train platform according to Tony Rayns is a form of “time slip” with the scenario of the film, and again Tony Rayns mentions the fantastic professional cinematography by Burnett Guffey, A.S.C., who does a totally brilliant job in framing the scene we have just witnessed on the train station platform. Tony Rayns also says that this 1949 film has been inspired by a series of essays from memories that were published by the Collier's American general interest magazine in 1947 by Federal Agent Frank J. Wilson who worked for the US Treasury and of course was a “T-Man” and was of course based om his own experiences in nailing the infamous Al Capone who had been operating in the Prohibition period in America that had a nationwide ban on the sale and import of alcoholic beverages that lasted from 1920 to 1933 an related to Al Capone’s ill-gotten gains with his tax evasion and Federal Agent Frank J. Wilson had to gain access to the mafia Boss’s books so they could take them to court and to be able to lock them up for a good number of years, and to show these criminals that they are not above the law, and of course over time the Federal Agents got the upper hand and thwarted these hardened criminals and to stop their ill-gotten tax evasions and Tony Rayns also says that the film title ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ focuses on the Federal Agents whose job is to bring these nasty criminals to justice and to also to show these Federal Agents that they had great courage in bringing these infamous criminals to a guilty verdict outcome. At around 7 minutes into the film, we are at a cinema where the Federal Agent Frank Wilson [Glenn Ford] is meeting a stool pigeon who has written a letter offering his service to the Feds to spill the beans on how these criminals were operating, and Tony Rayns now feels the film is now coming into a near of “film noir” setting and seeing the vices of criminal human beings in this 1948 film, and Tony Rayns also says that this first stool pigeon we meet is not the only one, as throughout the film Federal Agent Frank Wilson meets other stool pigeons who want to spill the beans on the criminal fraternity. But one important information that Tony Rayns informs us, it that the additional dialogue by Malvin Wald, who had been the Co-Writer for the brilliant ‘The Naked City’ 1948 film. Tony Rayns now wants to talks about the zingy dialogue and feels it is of the highest quality and feels it helps the cast of actors to give their highest performance throughout the film that was a great success in 1949. As we start going through the rest of the film, Tony Rayns starts talking in-depth about the different characters in the film that are playing real life characters in the 1940’s that were the actual Federal Agents and of course trying to convict the real life criminals and on top of all that, Tony Rayns also talks in-depth about the different location featured in the film that were the real locations the criminal fraternity were operating in and who were threatening innocent people who wanted to give evidence against the criminals to put them behind bars. Tony Rayns now wants to talk about the Federal Agents who had a real tough time throughout the film in their slow frustration in convicting the criminals, but of course when we get near to the end of the film, and all that frustration for the Federal Agents were finally rewarded 100% with their massive convictions of all the criminals who were under the control by the Big Boss who of course eventually got convicted after a hard fought battle with the Federal Agents and of course you will have to watch near to the end of the film to find out how the Federal Agents won their conviction against the Big Boss and his criminal gangs who of course get their comeuppance and of course the Big Boss and his criminal gangs thought they were totally above the law and we finally get to see Frank Warren [Glenn Ford] finally getting results with his efforts in stopping the criminals getting the upper hand, and especially when innocent people came forward to name the criminals because they were assured they would be protected from the nasty belligerent evil criminals who were trying to get the upper hand over the law, an finding out that crime does not pay. As we get near to the end of the film, we finally see Frank Warren has been building up to show us that all his hard work is paying off, especially when we get to see the actual court case, and that the judge orders the jury to be changed, because the original jury had been corrupted by money from the Big Boss and his criminals, because earlier on Frank Warren had been given a list of the names of the nobbled jury who would be attending the court case, so again it is showing Frank Warren has stopped the mob in getting one over the law in thinking they are 100% in charge of the situation, but of course we do not get to see the actual court case, bur instead, the film is more interested in showing the nobbled jury and showing the judge coming up with the right solution in getting the trial up and running and getting the justified convictions of the corrupt mob, and a totally ingenious solution, but then suddenly we get to see the newspaper headline “BIG FELLOW GETS 20 YEARS,” and then we are back at the station train platform and the scene we saw at the start of the film and seeing the Big Boss getting on the train with a police guard and again it is the “time slip” that Tony Rayns mentioned at the start of his audio commentary. As the wording The End appears, Tony Rayns comments about the director Joseph H. Lewis in being an “autre” director and feels he did a really find job in directing the 1949 film ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN,’ and at that point this audio commentary by Tony Rayns comes to an end and I felt it was one of the best and interesting audio commentaries I have heard in a very long time. Please Note: The only slightly negative aspect of this audio commentary by Tony Rayns is that he was allowed to carry on talking past the end of the film, where we wind up with a blank screen and with Tony Rayns extra time, he just rambled on about nothing of interest in relation to the actual film and this extra part of this audio commentary went onto 5:27.
Special Feature: Image Gallery: with this featurette, we get to view 28 wonderful 1080p black-and-white and some colour publicity and promotional material related to the 1949 film ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN.’
Special Feature: Man On A Bus [1955] [480i] [1.37:1] [28:53] With this featurette, we get to view a short American US TV film about settlers in Israel, where six people who have emigrated to Israel catch a bus through the Negev Desert, and sadly the bus breaks down. The film was directed by Joseph H Lewis for the United Jewish Appeal, featuring a star-studded cast, including Walter Brennan, Broderick Crawford, Rosemary DeCamp, J. Carrol Naish, Ruth Roman, Kim Charney, Peter Leeds and Son of Lassie. We are informed that this film has been provided the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive.
Special Feature: Income Tax Sappy [1954] [480i] [1.37:1] [16:31] With this featurette, we get to view a so called comedy starring the Three Stooges. Tax cheats Moe, Larry, and Shemp decide they're so good at cheating the government, that they start a business as crooked tax advisors. They become rich, but an undercover agent from the IRS gets the goods on them, and it's off to jail for the Three Stooges.
Finally, ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ [1949] is a very stylish and suspenseful film, and very well acted by actor Glenn Ford, Nina Foch as Glenn Ford’s threatened wife Judith and James Whitmore (in his début) as George Pappas, Barry Kelley as Edward O’Rourke and Howard St John as Joseph S Horan, and buffed up with a typical 1940’s gritty look, especially with the brilliant and stylish cinematography by Burnett Guffey, A.S.C. The reliable and excellent acting, convincing script, authentic settings, “film noir” stylish shooting, and swift-moving pace add up to a first-rate package. Glenn Ford energises this rousing crime thriller as Frank Warren, a US Treasury agent hot on the heels of an Al Capone-style crime boss wanted for murder, bootlegging and tax evasion. ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ is stylish and suspenseful, well-acted by Glenn Ford, Nina Foch as Glenn Ford’s threatened wife Judith Warren and James Whitmore in his début as George Pappas, Barry Kelley as Edward O’Rourke and Howard St John as Joseph S Horan, and buffed up with a typical 1940’s gritty look. ‘THE UNDERCOVER MAN’ is a swift-moving pace that adds up to a totally first-rate all round package. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
