The Undercover Man
directed by Joseph Lewis
This 1949 film is more of a crime drama than a noir film.
directed by Joseph Lewis
Although Eliot Ness and his high profile raids are popularly linked with the downfall of Chicago Outfit head Al Capone, it was actually the more anodyne work of IRS accountants/tax agents like Frank Wilson that actually resulted in Capone's conviction and imprisonment on tax evasion charges.
This movie is loosely based on Frank Wilson's story.
The film deviates from noir storylines by avoiding the true bleakness of real life events.
In real life although Capone was convicted and later sent to Alcatraz, the organization that he inherited and built thrived without him, growing to wield national influence, including in Hollywood and Las Vegas.
Capone's conviction did not prove that good would win over evil. It just showed that mobsters needed to pay their taxes and keep a lower public profile, a valuable lesson that Capone's successors took to heart.
Nevertheless The Undercover Man still effectively used noir elements of claustrophobic corruption and frustration with the law. Although everyone at the time would have recognized the Capone story, this movie set its tale in an unnamed city. As Tolkien did with Sauron, the film keeps its Big Bad (Capone) off screen for 99% of the story.
Frank Warren (Glenn Ford) is a treasury agent assigned to bring down the syndicate and its leader, The Big Fellow. Because he's played by Ford, Warren has a sense of decency and a sadness which each come across loud and clear. Frank thinks that his itinerant lifestyle is damaging his marriage with his wife Judith (Nina Foch). Judith says she doesn't mind constantly moving with Frank but Frank feels it's time to settle down and have some kids.
Frank and his men (including James Whitmore in an energetic role) spend a lot of time and energy documenting syndicate ownership and expenditures and working with syndicate turncoats.
But Frank's investigations often fizzle out thanks to the excellent legal work of smooth syndicate top attorney Edward O'Rourke (Barry Kelley in what amounts to the Big Bad role), police corruption, and the syndicate's sincere dedication to identifying and eliminating rats before they can testify or provide evidence in court.
The syndicate believes that if there are no witnesses there can be no trials. The refusal of witnesses to cooperate, the corruption, and the shady legal tactics all wear down Frank, as does his knowledge that the syndicate might harm Judith.
So this film is a character study of how much can one man take and whether he will keep the faith even when all seems lost.
By modern standards this movie can be melodramatic. The verbal sparring between Ford and Kelley is fun to watch and listen to. Foch doesn't have much to do other than be supportive.
