Review of The Racket (1951) by Mara B — 27 May 2011
An incorruptible cop shooting for promotion by cleaning up his precinct, the hoodlum who thinks he's above the law, a dirty prosecutor who wears his guilt as clearly as the sweat on his face, the faceless gangster mastermind behind it all known only by a hackneyed nickname.
It's all there in this archetypal police procedural / gangster takedown thriller, but it hasn't aged well. We've had too many game~changers in this space since for this to stand up - in contrast to the modern equivalents ( The Untouchables , Goodfellas, Heat, Internal Affairs) it comes out looking tepid, overacted and obvious.
Even worse, there's a large amount of fudge in the directing (if you don't believe me, watch out for the awful rooftop fight sequence which somehow manages to lack any tension or suspense whatsoever).
This review of The Racket (1951) was written by Mara B on 27 May 2011.
The Racket has generally received mixed reviews.
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