Review of Ruthless (1948) by Martin T — 01 Jul 2010

Sometimes there's an actor that you so strongly associate with a particular role that it's jarring to see him in anything else. In the case, Bob Anderson, who will forever be young George Bailey to me.

As I watched him in this movie, I kept waiting for him to bust out a "hee haw!" or a "please don't hit my sore ear again, Mr. Gower!". Funny that I watched this right after a movie with Donna Reed.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaanyway... this is a decent melodrama about a financial wizard whose ambition leads him to crush everyone in his path. The film has pretty good performances (including young Anderson) and some compelling psychodramatic elements, but man, it moves like molasses.

All the life has been sucked out and it just seems to drag on and on at times. Detour is a masterpiece of economy, so I guess Ulmer works better on a microscopic budget.