This dark thriller is a powerful documentary-style drama which is justifiably recognised as a film noir classic. Its combination of gritty realism, an intriguing story and plenty of suspense, makes it utterly compelling to watch and its striking visual style is simply awesome.
Dennis O'Brien (Dennis O'Keefe) and Tony Genaro (Alfred Ryder) are U.S. Treasury agents (T-Men) who are assigned to a case which involves them in going undercover to infiltrate a gang of counterfeiters. Working under assumed names, they go to Detroit and pose as the only surviving members of a well known gang and are accepted by local mob boss Carlo Vantucci (Anton Costa) who employs them to work on his counterfeit liquor stamps racket.
It soon becomes apparent that a man called "The Schemer" (Wallace Ford) is the gang's L.A. connection and O'Brien immediately leaves for L.A. to follow up this lead. His subsequent contact with "The Schemer" helps him to meet people at progressively higher positions in the organisation as he tries to find out the identity of the man in charge.
After Genaro has joined O'Brien in L.A. the boss of the gang arrives by ship from China and O'Brien meets Diana Simpson (Jane Randolph) who is second in command of the organisation. She distrusts "The Schemer" and ruthlessly arranges to have him killed. "The Schemer", however, had kept a written record of the gang's activities and the discovery of his notebook eventually enables the Treasury Department to ascertain all the knowledge they require to bring the gang's work to an end.
The story is based on records of actual Treasury Deapartment investigations and its authenticity is emphasised by the movie's very formal introduction which is spoken by a Treasury official. The two agents are incredibly dedicated and endure tremendous hardships as they pursue their investigation. They suffer great physical violence, the constant fear of being exposed as T-Men and both find themselves in situations where they have to severely repress their natural feelings and reactions to events because to do otherwise would blow their cover. These men fit into their criminal roles with a level of ease and enthusiasm which suggests that their aptitude for the work might well be rooted in some darker recesses of their psychological make up than even they are able to recognise.
The skillful work of director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton is exemplary. The camera-work is incredibly inventive with some great low angle shots which work really well, including one in which the audience see the action from floor level whilst looking up through a table lamp. The use of close ups contributes to the tension generated in some scenes and creative use of steam, smoke and chiaroscuro lighting reinforce the overall atmosphere of the piece.
"T-Men" is an exciting and sometimes violent film with particularly good performances from the actors in the lead roles and some rather tense sequences in which O'Brien and Genaro find themselves in very dangerous predicaments.
Dennis O'Brien (Dennis O'Keefe) and Tony Genaro (Alfred Ryder) are U.S. Treasury agents (T-Men) who are assigned to a case which involves them in going undercover to infiltrate a gang of counterfeiters. Working under assumed names, they go to Detroit and pose as the only surviving members of a well known gang and are accepted by local mob boss Carlo Vantucci (Anton Costa) who employs them to work on his counterfeit liquor stamps racket.
It soon becomes apparent that a man called "The Schemer" (Wallace Ford) is the gang's L.A. connection and O'Brien immediately leaves for L.A. to follow up this lead. His subsequent contact with "The Schemer" helps him to meet people at progressively higher positions in the organisation as he tries to find out the identity of the man in charge.
After Genaro has joined O'Brien in L.A. the boss of the gang arrives by ship from China and O'Brien meets Diana Simpson (Jane Randolph) who is second in command of the organisation. She distrusts "The Schemer" and ruthlessly arranges to have him killed. "The Schemer", however, had kept a written record of the gang's activities and the discovery of his notebook eventually enables the Treasury Department to ascertain all the knowledge they require to bring the gang's work to an end.
The story is based on records of actual Treasury Deapartment investigations and its authenticity is emphasised by the movie's very formal introduction which is spoken by a Treasury official. The two agents are incredibly dedicated and endure tremendous hardships as they pursue their investigation. They suffer great physical violence, the constant fear of being exposed as T-Men and both find themselves in situations where they have to severely repress their natural feelings and reactions to events because to do otherwise would blow their cover. These men fit into their criminal roles with a level of ease and enthusiasm which suggests that their aptitude for the work might well be rooted in some darker recesses of their psychological make up than even they are able to recognise.
The skillful work of director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton is exemplary. The camera-work is incredibly inventive with some great low angle shots which work really well, including one in which the audience see the action from floor level whilst looking up through a table lamp. The use of close ups contributes to the tension generated in some scenes and creative use of steam, smoke and chiaroscuro lighting reinforce the overall atmosphere of the piece.
"T-Men" is an exciting and sometimes violent film with particularly good performances from the actors in the lead roles and some rather tense sequences in which O'Brien and Genaro find themselves in very dangerous predicaments.