Union Station

I found this movie riveting although I would agree that it is flawed in some of the ways other reviewers here have pointed out.

To me, the star of this movie is the main setting itself -- Union Station. (It's supposed to be Union Station-Chicago tho it was actually filmed in Union Station-L.A.) So much of the action takes place amidst the corridors and passageways and train tracks and tunnels underneath Union Station. (And at one point the action shifts to the Chicago "El" train.) And since every cop in the movie (with one brief exception) is in plain clothes (which in 1950 apparently meant a dark grey suit and tie), there is a constant sense of tension and suspense as they try to follow and trap the criminals amongst the hustle and bustle of the ordinary folks commuting or working in the vast train station. The station cops have hidden offices on a sort of mezzanine level overlooking the station and constantly spy on the throngs below, trying to spot the kidnappers and ransom bag guys. An ordinary train station is converted into a eerie locale of spying and cat-and-mouse between cop and criminal.

In fact, the setting is more noir-ish than the characters. To me, the main characters in the film are not "true" film noir characters, it's more an ordinary "good guy" vs "bad guy" sort of crime movie. But the film transforms an ordinary busy big-city train station into "Dark City Central."

Union Station is a rather terrific police procedural that kicks off with one huge coincidence - the armed criminals Nancy Olsen spots on an train to Chicago just happen to have kidnapped her rich employer's blind daughter - and keeps her around for rather longer than the plot mechanics strictly need to provide potential romantic interest for William Holden's all business Union Station cop, but when it works this well, why complain? There's a typical fascination with the business of policing, be it Holden going on his rounds of pickpockets, pimps and conmen or an intricate surveillance operation, but there's also a streak of real nastiness to Lyle Bettger's very, very bad man, who'll not only kill anyone who gets in his way and not care who the stray bullets hit but will even steal your last sandwich. Not that the cops are that much better, getting a quick confession out of one of the gang by nearly throwing him under an oncoming train. The presence of Barry Fitzgerald's soft spoken older cop doing good cop to Holden's bad cop implies that it's all bluff, but the cops of the day weren't always THAT particular when it came to human rights.

The film does miss a few tricks: while it tries to build up some suspense as to whether the victim is even alive or not, there's never much doubt on that one and one promising moment where Bettger's hiding place in the station turns out to be only a few feet away from the police headquarters offers the tantalising possibility that he might be smart enough to be watching them while they think they're watching out for him - but unfortunately it's just a coincidence that's made little of. But so much does work that again it's hard to complain, be it a chase leading to a stampede in a stockyard or the obligatory chase through darkened tunnels, the script and execution always better than they need to be and raising it above the run of the mill even if it never quite makes it to classic. Tightly directed by Rudolph Maté with a good feeling for real locations that are used to great effect and underplayed performances that help add a layer of semi-realism, it's a very satisfying little stopover indeed.

No extras on Olive's DVD but a more than acceptable black and white transfer.

As at least one other reviewer has commented, the real star of this film is Union Station itself -- the setting is supposed to be Chicago Union Station but actually Los Angeles Union Station was used in the filming. The place supplies atmosphere in excess and is shown off magnificently in the stark and well-composed black and white cinematography. The story is essentially a straight procedural drama centering around the kidnapping of a blind young woman. The prime bad guy is truly bad, and the police -- led by William Holden and Barry Fitzgerald -- are just as determined to catch him, with the safety of the girl an uncertain calculation in their minds. Meanwhile, a friend of the family, played by Nancy Olson, was the one who just by coincidence gave the cops enough information to put them onto the plot before the kidnapped girl's father is contacted by the crooks. Reluctantly, the father allows the police to quietly pursue the three conspirators. After some truly clumsy trailing in one case and undisguised beating and mental torture in the other, one crook dies and another confesses all, leaving the ringleader alone with his own girlfriend and the victim. From there it's a tense manhunt and search for the kidnapped woman, right down to the end. All that sounds rather exciting, and up to a point it is. However, the initial involvement of Olson's character hinges of rather unlikely coincidence, and her continued presence strikes me as highly unrealisic -- she's allowed to hang around and become a de facto participant in trailing and confronting the bad guys. It's all procedure with virtually no texture -- an attempt is made to humanize Holden's character, and there's just enough down town in the propulsive plot line to suggest that he and Olson's character are going to hit it off romantically once the credits are over. But then, at just over 80 minutes in length, this film has little room for anything but the main show. For what it is, that show is pretty compelling if predictable and largely within the box. It's still worth a watch, however. This transfer is excellent.