The Lineup
Directed by Don Siegel
Written by Stirling Silliphant
1958/USA
Columbia Pictures Corportation/Pajemer Productions
First viewing/Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics I

[box] Julian: When you live outside the law, you have to eliminate dishonesty.[/box]

This TV-spinoff requires quite the suspension of disbelief but makes up for it with a trio of very fun hoods.

A taxi driver is shot and killed in the port of San Francisco after snatching a suitcase from an antiques dealer.  The SFPD soon discover that one of the figurines contained in  the suitcase is stuffed with heroin.  It turns out that travelers to Hong Kong are being used as unwitting mules.

Two  gangsters arrive from Miami.  They are to deliver the drugs to “The Man” by 4:30 pm the same day.  There are the brains of the outfit, Julian (Robert Keith), who is writing a book on dying words, and hit-man in training and psycopath Dancer (Eli Wallach).  On arrival, they meet dipso driver Sandy McLain.  The men have to work fast and brutally as there are three different dupes to collect from.

This was a spin-off from a TV police procedural of the same name.  It shows during the first 20 minutes but when the bad guys arrive the fun begins.  It’s all shot in broad daylight and there is little or no angst.  By the late 50’s it seems that any darkish crime film is considered film noir.  There’s plenty of action though and it is always nice to see Eli Wallach.  This was his second big screen performance after breaking through with Baby Doll in 1956.

The question of why any drug kingpin would trust a shipment, and of such small quantities, to random strangers is never answered nor are we told why he had to import hit men from Miami to collect.

The San Francisco police department got along with director Don Siegel so well they greeted him with open arms when he made Dirty Harry there 13 years later.

Trailer – cinematography by Hal Mohr