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Download, Watch online Union Station Movie.
| Genres: | DramaFilm-N |
| Starring: | Lyle Bettger, Parley Baer, William Holden, Herbert Heyes, Nancy Olson, Richard Karlan, Jan Sterling |
| Director(s): | Rudolph Maté |
| Country: | USA |
| Year: | 1950 |
| IMDB Rating: | 6.9 |
Secretary Joyce Willecombe grows suspicious of two men boarding her train and is referred to Tough Willy Calhoun, head of the Union Station police. The all-seeing, no-nonsense Calhoun is initially skeptical, but the men (who escape) prove to be involved in a kidnap case. Calhoun calls in equally tough police Inspector Donnelly, but the ruthless kidnappers precision planning stays one jump ahead of them. Most of the action centers around bustling Union Station.
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Union Station (iPod) | Resolution: 480x320 px | Total Size: 262 Mb |
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Union Station (DivX) | Resolution: 720x480 px | Total Size: 753 Mb |
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Movie Photos: We have taken some photos of "Union Station". They represent actual movie quality.
Visitor Reviews: (20)
17 May 2012
I Really,Really Wanted to Like this Movie More - BUT !!!
The film's story line - the kidnapping of a blind girl with the kidnappers using the huge Chicago Union Railroad Station as the contact point for the distraught father and dropoff for the ransom. William Holden is the "boss cop" { Lt "Willie Calhoun} of the station who working with Barry Fitzgerald {Inspector Donnelly} are going to use their knowledge of the layout of the Station to trap the kidnappers when they try to pick up the $100,000 ransom. Nancy Olson {Joyce Willcombe} knows the victim, works for her father and by a very convienent almost improbable plot twist has put the police on-to the kidnapping even before the initial ransom note is even delivered to the father.There are some good episolds in the movie - the tracking and pursuit of one of the kidnappers on the Chicago elevated, the murder of a police officer by the boss kidnapper Lyle Bettger {Joe Beacom} who leaves his wounded mistress Jan Sterling {Marge Wrighter} pleading in the gutter as he speeds away and best of all - the casual brutality- slaps ,kicks, punches and death threats used by Calhoun and Donnelly and their squad playing "good cop, bad cop" to "extract" information from an underling in the bowells of Union Station that in 2010 would consitute a 5-10 million dollar lawsuit and cost a few police their jobs besides. Of course the underling spills his guts and probaly wet his pants in this circa 1950 routine police interrogation. How times have changed!! The best performances are by Lyle Bettger who is excellent as the boss kidnapper cold stare, steely voice and mocking the blind girl as he slaps her around when she wimpers too much and by Jan Sterling as a trashy floozy who has some sympathy for the victim but luvs Beacom while he treats her like dirt. Nancy Olson playing to type as a wide eyed innocent with "Backbone" gives her role some depth and is pretty good. HOWEVER, Barry Fitzgerald reprising his 1948 role from "The Naked City" is too cute / coy as the loveable shrewd Irish " Full of Blarney" Inspector. Allene Roberts as the kidnap victim {Lorna Murchison} is an unsympathetic and whiney victim. Rudolph Mate was a great cameraman but his direction of the movie is pedestrian and the final chase thru the station's underground service tunnels is ok but could have been much better - it's to slowly paced and does'nt have enough tension and falls kind of flat. BUT the film's most serious flaw is the miscasting of William Holden as the hardbitten cop - his performance lacks the hard edge, he's not cynical or tough enough to pull it off. A far better choice for this role would have been Paramount's other male "biggie" - Alan Ladd whose tough guy image, dry voice and laconic manner would have played nicely against Nancy Olson's exasperated innocence. I guess after the successful teaming of Holden and Olson in "Sunset Blvd" Paramount rushed them into this picture to capitilize on their prievous teaming. I wanted to like this movie much more than I did but its elements just did/nt quite jell. Still, I give it a 3 1/2 star rating and would recommend its purchase.
planktonrules 17 May 2012
A very good film and YES the kidnap victim really is quite annoying!
I noticed that one of the other reviewers mentioned how he hated thekidnap victim, as she was very annoying. Yes, the kidnapped girl isannoying...very annoying. She screams and screams so much, I was hopingeventually that the bad guys shot her to shut her up!! Despite this,it's still a pretty good crime film.The film begins with a lady on a train (Nancy Olson) noticing a coupleguys acting strangely. She alerts the conductor--who seems to thinkshe's crazy. But she insists he contact the police who investigate.Eventually, they discover the lady is right--something IS amiss. Itseems they are part of a gang that have kidnapped a rich man's blinddaughter. And, it turns out their boss is very blood-thirsty and has nointention of letting the girl go free once he obtains the ransom. Canthe good cop (William Holden) catch these big jerks before it's toolate? The toughness of the plot and the villain make this a film worthseeing. I noticed another review that complained about the casting ofBarry Fitzgerald as the cop heading the investigation. I thought herwas fine and played a nearly identical role in "The Naked City"--sosimilar a person might mistakenly think "Union Station" is a sequel.It's not, but both are very good, taut crime dramas that are worth yourtime.
05 May 2012
Fairly standard crime drama
William Holden stars as Lt. William Calhoun who's in charge of the police force commissioned to patrol the busy Union Station. Calhoun is alerted by a conductor that a female passenger Joyce Willecombe played by Nancy Olson has spotted two male passengers carrying guns. The men had hurriedly embarked on the train and appeared suspicious to Olson.Holden alerted his underlings to tail the two men, one of whom was Joe Beacom played by frequent cinema heavy Lyle Bettger. They eventually stumble into a kidnapping plot. Olson's boss a rich socialite named Henry Murchison played by distinguished looking silver haired Herbert Heyes had a young blind daughter Lorna played by Allene Roberts. Young Lorna was the kidnap victim. Holden and Police Inspector Donnelly played by the impish Irish born Barry Fitzgerald colloborate to attempt to thwart the well conceived scheme to bilk Mr. Murchison of $100,000.The highlight of this rather standard film noir drama was the glorious black and white cinematography within the cavernous Union Station located in L.A.. The acting talents of Holden and Fitzgerald are hard to ignore but both shined more brightly in other more notable efforts. Bettger also did well portraying the devious and calculating criminal mastermind.
gstevens-2 04 May 2012
Railroad lovers' treat
I remember this film shown once on TV. Yes, the story plotline is good andthe characters are entertaining, but the REAL star of the movie is theincredible historical Union Station itself. The movie moves throughoutportions of the building never before seen by the general public andrevealsthe enormous scope of Union Station. As a little girl I and family traveledoften by train. I remember the beauty of the place, the hustle and bustleofa station which was the base for the only comfortable way to travel by landat that time.Union Station itself compares in size and beauty to any otherin the country.This movie was shot during the last hey-days of the railroadpassenger trains and I earnestly wish it could be brought back to video.
jotix100 03 May 2012
Kidnapped
The great railway stations of the first half of the 20th century, werethe equivalent of today's airports. Los Angeles' Union Station, was oneof the best examples of how these places worked and how it was thecenter of people moving in the country during that period in whichaviation was still in its infancy. The station is the setting for thestory in which the film is based.Directed by Rudolph Mate, who was a great cinematographer himself, weare taken to witness this interesting thriller that still holds itsinterest after more than a half a century since it was made. Mr. Mateconfided his colleague, Daniel Fapp, to photograph the action thattakes place in the tunnels, boarding and waiting areas of the station.William Holden was at the top of the profession. He is seen as Det.William Calhoun, who is in charge of security. Nancy Olson, makes aninteresting appearance opposite Mr. Holden as a young secretary whoreports to the authorities what she witnessed on an inbound train.Barry Fitzgerald, who plays the police inspector in charge, contributesto the success of the film. Best of all Lyle Bettger, an actor thatmade his specialty out of the shady characters he was called to play.Jan Sterling has a small, but pivotal part."Union Station" is worth looking as it reflects that period of time inAmerica. Ultimate the station is the real star of the film where we seeit in all its splendor.
Jonathon Dabell 03 May 2012
A lost classic which should be rediscovered and hailed as the masterpiece that it is.
I suppose that every movie lover and every film critic has one filmthat they love which makes everyone else shrug in bewilderment. Iremember Barry Norman once publishing a book about his 100 favouritemovies, and no-one could fathom why a well-made but totally disposableentry like "Gregory's Girl" was on his list. Similarly, many years agoBBC2 ran a short film series in which famous actors and directorsrevealed and spoke about their favourite film. Everyone was taken abackwhen Martin Scorcese came up with "Duel In The Sun" as his choice!Well, for me, the oddity among my list of all-time favourites wouldhave to be Union Station. Since the first time I caught this fantasticcrime thriller on Channel 4 one rainy afternoon, I've considered it oneof the finest films of its type that I've ever come across. Not onlydid the story engross me, but the film inspired me to become a lifelongfan of William Holden, and also made me develop a serious crush on thelovely Nancy Olson.Railway police man William Calhoun (William Holden) is having a fairlyroutine day at work when he is approached by an apprehensive passengernamed Joyce Willecombe (Nancy Olson), who believes that two travellersaboard her train may have been up to no good. It transpires that Joyceis the secretary to a rich man called Henry Murchison (Herbert Hayes),whose blind daughter, Lorna, has been kidnapped and held for ransom.The railway station where Calhoun works has been chosen as the locationfor the pay-off of the ransom. Calhoun and fellow cop InspectorDonnelly (the atypically-cast Barry Fitzgerald) race against time tofind the kidnappers and bring them to heel.Pacy, exciting, surprisingly violent and very well-acted, Union Stationis 80 minutes of terrific entertainment. Sydney Boehm's script isfilled with incident, and Rudolph Mate directs the proceedings with asense of urgency and a real talent for building the suspense. Holden -fresh from his masterpiece Sunset Boulevard - is in fine form and Olson(also from Sunset Boulevard) is an ideal leading lady, who not onlygets the hero involved in the action but also pressurises him into notjust nailing the bad guys but rescuing the abducted blind girl too.Impressive performances are also to be found from Barry Fitzgerald asHolden's colleague, and (especially) Lyle Bettger as the kidnapmastermind, a snarling and exceptionally nasty villain for a film ofthis era. The climax, involving a frenzied shootout and a chase throughunderground tunnels, is truly heart-stopping. Union Station is afirst-rate thriller.... if ever a film needed rediscovering, then thissurely is it!
Michael O'Keefe 26 April 2012
Not just for William Holden fans.
UNI0N STATION is classic film noir directed by Rudolph Matte. Grittyand suspenseful. Joyce Willecombe(Nancy Olson)is a private secretary,who boards a train back home to Chicago from visiting her boss HenryMurchison(Herbert Heyes). While on the train she observes a speedingcar race to a small station and two suspicious looking men get out andboard the train at opposite ends. On board these men act as strangers.Joyce happens to see a gun hidden in one man's coat and tries to alarmthe conductor of the train. He can't help, but Lt. WilliamCalhoun(William Holden)working at Union Station is called. It happensthat the two men are part of a kidnapping scheme...the victim is theblind daughter of Joyce's employer. The young secretary feels guilty;but Calhoun and his boss, Inspector Donnelly(Barry Fitzgerald), insistthat they will thwart the kidnapping and return Lorna Murchison(AlleneRoberts)to her rich father. A lot of cat-and-mouse action and oldfashion gunfire. Holden is cast perfectly and Miss Olson gets her shareof screen time. Fitzgerald is fit as the calm and cool acting Irishmanwith the plan of action. The cast also includes: Lyle Bettger, FredGraff, Don Dunning, Jan Sterling and Parley Baer.
blanche-2 25 April 2012
Good film
"Union Station" is a realistic 1950 film starring William Holden, NancyOlson, Jan Sterling and Barry Fitzgerald. It was released after "SunsetBoulevard" so by the time it came out, Holden had actually moved upanother level of stardom. Rudolph Mate directed the film in aquasi-documentary way, showing all levels of an attempt to rescue akidnapped blind girl (Allene Roberts), the daughter of Olson's wealthyboss. Holden plays the detective in charge of Union Station, and hedoesn't like the idea of anybody messing with his turf. There are somevery exciting scenes, particularly the one on the train, which assomeone mentioned, very likely inspired "The French Connection." Holdengives a strong, macho performance, which makes the scene where hevisits Olson in her home extra delightful, as he becomes embarrassedwhen her mother fusses over him. It's amazing that after Golden Boy, hetoiled in so many films beneath his ability. Jan Sterling is thegangster's girlfriend with a heart - it's a small but showy andsympathetic role. Lyle Bettger is the villain, and he's slime all theway through. The only problem with the film is the kidnap victimherself, Lorna, who screams non-stop. I'm surprised her father wantedher back, but you know how it is with parents.Really holds your interest. What a hunk Holden is. Highly recommended.
25 April 2012
Union Station
This review is from: Union Station (DVD) Just ordered the DVD of this movie. I had it on VHS, then was able to record it to DVD-R but want a professional copy also. This movie is among my favorite noir. I like William Holden and Barry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald in Naked City was excellent and he does a good job here also. The late 40's and early 50's were, in my opinion, the golden age of noir. Many fine movies were made in that genre and this is one of them. You had the tough but really sensitive cop or private eye, the girl in distress, the criminal who was out to get everyone, and some really classic settings on locale. Combine that together and you have some really good entertainment. It's a window to a bygone era. I could care less about some of the aspects some reviewers put into their synopsis. It's entertainment, what more do you want?
theowinthrop 24 April 2012
Really First Rate Film Noir - And Bettger Almost Walks Off With It!
Looking at the casting and production of this film, and even the title,an informed viewer must wonder about who was the guiding genius behindit. The romantic leads, William Holden and Nancy Olsen, just played thesimilar leads in a tragically doomed love affair in Billy Wilder'sSUNSET BOULEVARD. The director, Rudolph Mate, was better known for hiscinematography up to a few years earlier. But by 1950 he had THE DARKPAST (also with Holden and Lee J. Cobb) and D.O.A. (with EdmondO'Brien) under his belt...and there were more to come. The villain (inonly his third film) was the terrific bad guy Lyle Bettger - about tofully blossom in what was the best role in this film (but bad guysusually got the best roles in "film noir"). Barry Fitzgerald is hereplaying a version of his Police Detective from THE NAKED CITY. Insupporting parts are Jan Sterling, Allene Roberts, Herbert Heyes,Parley Baer, Ralph Sanford, and even Byron Foulger. This film haseverything going for it - even the location is suggestive of potentialtragedy.In 1933 the FBI suffered the worst loss of personal in it's earlyhistory when four of it's agents, while escorting some prisoners, wereambushed in a botched attempt to spring the prisoners. The four menwere machine-gunned to death as were the two prisoners (I said it wasbotched). As a result J.Edgar Hoover got Congress to pass legislationallowing F.B.I. men to carry arms into the field (something the stateshad rejected at first). The killings were later ascribed (probablytruthfully) to "Pretty Boy" Floyd's gang, but nobody was ever punishedfor the killings. The incident happened in the parking area of UNIONSTATION in Kansas City. In fact, it is historically called "The UnionStation Massacre". Oddly enough no regular film was ever done of the true story - althougha fictionalized television film was made in the 1970s. But this is sucha good thriller it will do for it's acting (especially Bettger) andproduction values.Olson is a secretary to Heyes, a very wealthy man who has a singlechild - Roberts. Originally Roberts had all her senses, but she hasbecome blind. When she vanishes, Olson becomes suspicious of two men ona commuter train (Bettger and an associate) who she follows to UnionStation. She approaches Holden and he uses his staff of railway policeto follow them and see where they put away a piece of luggage. Afterthey leave Holden prepares to open the locker to verify that Olsonthinks they have a gun in there. But he insists on doing everything bythe book - much to Olsen's disgust. He does not want law suits againsthimself, his men, the staff of the station or the station itself. Heinsists on her name and address, and Olsen - very angrily - gives it tohim. Then the locker is checked, and Olsen's information verified.This is how the film progresses, and adds to the tensions of the story.Bettger is a border-line psychotic (he enjoys some taunting of hisvictims, but he keeps his eyes on the goal of the kidnap ransom). Hehas spent five years in prison for a hold-up (he angrily dismisses theevent, calling the filling-station robbery a "coffee and cake" affair).While there he thought out this meticulous crime - all centered on thestation. As he is willing to use and kill people to get his results heconstantly keeps one step ahead of his pursuers.But Holden and his regular police force Detective Fitgerald have tomove more slowly. They have to play by limitations and rules they areassigned to uphold (though at one point they give one of Bettger'sassociates a "third degree" good cop - bad cop grilling that getsresults with near violence). They also are hamstrung because of Heyes,who is frightened at the threat to his helpless daughter and agrees toanything Bettger demands.So Bettger, despite the losses of two associates, is always in the lead- and calling the shots to the conclusion of the film. His key tosuccess is his hold on Roberts, a helpless victim who cannot fight onequal terms. If the forces of law and order want to find her alive (apoint that Bettger really could not care about) they have to follow histune.The actors are all good, with Holden and Olsen gradually findingreasons to appreciate each other more and more. Fitzgerald has nomoment (as in THE NAKED CITY) outlining his model for solving crimes.But he and Holden do discuss (after the death of a policeman) thelimits of following the book and rules in moments of danger. Holdenfeels that such behavior only ends with the party on a slab in amorgue, but Fitzgerald says that kind of bravery wins battles. It's alesson Holden takes to heart.The supporting actors too are good - in particular Jan Sterling asBettger's lover and most sympathetic gang member. On the whole UNION STATION is a wonderful film noir, and a must seefilm.
edwagreen 23 April 2012
Union Station- Caution: Subway Riding May Be Hazardous to Your Health **1/2
In the same year that William Holden and Nancy Olson earned Oscarnominations for "Sunset Boulevard," they both appeared in this crimethriller.When Olson observes the forever villainous Lyle Bettger with a gun, theaction begins. Olson and his gang have kidnapped a wealthy blind girl.A faux pas in the film is when the father shows pictures of the girlwhen she is between 12-13 years of age. At that time she had her sightbut she looks more like she is 21 years old there.Jan Sterling shows that she had what it takes as Bettger's moll whotakes a bullet during a shoot out with a police officer. Sterling'svoice comes across as the typical dumb blonde.The Bettger character is a mean spirited thief driven to murder for$100,000. The below the subway sequences are very good even though weknow how this will all turn out.William Holden smokes his way as usual, this time as the cop assignedto the station. Barry Fitzgerald showed his mettle again playing apolice officer. He seemed to get these parts after the memorable "GoingMy Way." Fitzgerald's Irish brogue is so suitable for the part.Why is Nancy Olson still in harms way after she has informed the policeabout the dangerous Bettger and after they begin to eliminate themembers of the ruthless gang?
MARIO GAUCI 23 April 2012
UNION STATION (Rudolph Mate', 1950) ***
Obviously modeled on Jules Dassin's superior THE NAKED CITY (1948) Âco-starring Barry Fitzgerald, meticulous police procedural, filmed onactual locations  this film can certainly stand on its own two feet,being a tight and neatly-handled little thriller with plenty of actionand suspense. Especially effective is a game of cat-and-mouse on atrain between criminal and cop, which must have influenced THE FRENCHCONNECTION (1971)! While it doesn't quite have the scope of the earlier classic, the filmnonetheless makes the most of its situations (revolving around arace-against-the-clock to save a kidnapped blind girl) and settings(the majority of the action taking place, naturally, inside the titularlocation  with the tunnels underneath the station itself providing thebackdrop for the climax, and which may well have been inspired byending of THE THIRD MAN [1949]).Fitzgerald is once again excellent though, here, he rather playssecond-fiddle to the nominal stars  this being a Paramount film, itcouldn't but be contract players (William Holden and Nancy Olson in thesecond of their four teamings). Lyle Bettger is appropriately menacingas the sly chief kidnapper, while Jan Sterling appears as hissoft-hearted girlfriend (who suffers the consequences for demonstratingcompassion towards her charge).
kiscokid23 22 April 2012
Movie Very Enjoyable
Having had experience with crime prosecution and investigative work, Irate this movie very realistic--Holden does a customary superbperformance, would like to see this movie viewed more frequently, andat more viewable times. It is interesting to see the depiction ofPolice activities in the pre-'Miranda' days--The Scenes of railroadtravel, the 1950's era motor vehicles in the movie present a realisticview of how things were then--The very realistic progression of thecases solution, the suspenseful blending of the events all make thefilm a great pleasure to enjoy.Holden, as I remember his 'Stalag 17' performance is a constant magnetfor entertaining viewing.Respectfully,Lou Turi, aka 'Kisco Kid 23'E-mail address-- luigi23@oh.rr.com
21 April 2012
When Willy Held Forth
No question I am a film noir aficionado. Recently I have been on a tear reviewing various film noir efforts and drawing comparisons between the ones that "speak" to me and those that, perhaps, should have been left on the cutting room floor. The classics are easy; films like Out Of the Past, Gilda, The Lady From Shang-hai, and The Big Sleep need no additional comment from me as they stand on their own merits. Others, because they have a fetching (or wicked, for that matter, femme fatale to muddy the waters also get a pass, or as in Gilda a double nod for the plot and for the femme fatale. Be still my heart, at the name Rita Hayworth. I have even tried to salvage some efforts by touting their plot lines, and others by their use of shadowy black and white cinematography to overcome plot problems. Like The Third Man (and, in that case, the bizarre zither-drenched musical score as well). And that brings us to those films, like the film under review, 1951s Union Station, starring William Holden and Nancy Olson that have no redeeming film noir qualities. Now I mentioned the stars and the year of this film for a purpose. 1951 also saw this pair in one of the great film noir, no, flat-out great films of all time, Sunset Boulevard, so it is not the acting capabilities, although Brother Holden may have been a little tired from playing Norma Desmond's pet or maybe just a little bloated from being in that swimming pool too long. What is missing here is though is any spark in order to get interested in actors or plot. The plot line, in any case, is rather conventional. A con, or rather ex-con, who had plenty of time on his hands up in stir, decides that from here on in he is going to live on easy street and so whiled away those lonely prison cell hours devising a plot to get, what else, some serious dough. Easy street, after all, is no place for chump change. So naturally the idea is to kidnap a wealthy guy's daughter (who is also blind, so a conveniently easy target), hold her for ransom, and easy street here we come (of course, said con has a moll, a moll who in the end he does wrong as such bad guys will do out of habit, a blonde moll, although such molls are not always blonde). So you see, a pretty conventional plot, played out very conventionally. See said con used to work at, where else, Union Station (Chicago version), and so the swap (dough for daughter) is to take place there. What brother con did not figure on was that head railroad detective Willy Calhoun (the part played by William Holden, but don't call him Willy to his face, okay) is like some avenging angel-god when criminal hijinks take place in his precinct. A fatal mistake, a very fatal mistake, for brother con. But it takes time, too much time, for him to learn that sad lesson. Oh, and along the way, Willy (remember don't' call him that to his face) "falls" for Joyce (played by Nancy Olson), who is the one who tipped him to the possible criminal enterprise that was looming at his place of work. I will take any five minutes, no, any two minutes of Sunset Boulevard over this whole one and one half hour stew. I guess Willy (oops, William)and Nancy needed dough that year themselves.
bkoganbing 16 April 2012
The Psycho/Phantom of Union Station
Union Station is the locale of a kidnapping and in its labyrinth oftunnels that bare no accidental resemblance to the catacombs of Rome,the victim, Allene Roberts, is snatched and held captive by LyleBettger.Allene is the blind daughter of wealthy industrialist Herbert Hayes andsince the crime happened on railroad property William Holden as thechief railroad detective has the case. Of course the LAPD is brought inin the person of Barry Fitzgerald. Holden is alerted to the kidnap by Nancy Olson who is traveling withRoberts. She's Hayes's secretary, but Bettger eludes them. It's a raceagainst time to apprehend him before a payoff is made.This was Lyle Bettger's third film and the one where he first gotnotice. During his career, Mr. Bettger played some of the loveliestpsychotics ever put on film. This one is one of his best and in hislittle hideaway where he keeps the terrified Ms. Roberts, Bettger baresno small resemblance to the Phantom of the Opera. Bettger really stealsthe film from the good guy stars.Union Station is one tightly constructed film with not a second ofwasted footage in it. I wish it were out on VHS or DVD. Don't miss itif TCM ever broadcasts it.
15 April 2012
Union Station
This review is from: Union Station (DVD) Very good Film Noir film. Fast action and good suspense.William Holden and Barry Fritzgerald did a great job of acting in this film. Has to do with a kidnapping of a wealthy man's daughter. The picture quality is very good. Recommended.
jpdoherty 14 April 2012
Finally, Another Classic Noir Unearthed.
Paramount's UNION STATION (1950) is another memorable noir fromHollywood's golden past making its belated DVD debut. A gritty andcompelling thriller it was adapted for the screen from the violentnovel "Nightmare In Manhattan" by Thomas Walsh. Daniel L. Fapp's starkBlack & White cinematography brought a great style to it with itsshifting use of light and shadow and the genuine locations, especiallyin the bustling Union Station itself in Los Angeles, added a realisticlook and feel to the whole thing.A girl (the resistible Nancy Olson) sees a man (Lyle Bettger) on atrain wearing a gun under his jacket and immediately suspects him ofbeing up to no good (how it never occurs to her that he could perhapsbe a cop is conveniently glossed over). She however reports the matterto the conductor who in turn alerts railway cop William Calhoun(William Holden). It soon comes to light that the man with the gun andanother have kidnapped a blind girl and are holding her hostage for aransom of $100,000 from her well to do businessman father (HerbertHeyes). Things really hot up when Calhoun, with help from the citypolice headed by Inspector Donnelly (Barry Fitzgerald), stakeout UnionStation - the nominated drop zone for the ransom. The picture ends witha climactic chase sequence as Holden pursues Bettger through a maze ofdark tunnels underneath the station for the inevitable and excitingshootout.Performances are generally fine throughout. Holden is terrific in itbut it is unusual to see him as a cop. He plays the part well butwatching him you can't help thinking he is an actor of a much highercalibre than is called for here and deserving of classier and moreartistically challenging parts such as his Acadamy Award winning roleas Sefton in "Stalag 17" (1953) or his perfect Joe Gillis in "SunsetBoulevard" which he and his co-star here Olson would embark on rightafter UNION STATION. Also kicking around his thick Irish brogue againBarry Fitzgerald repeats his role, almost verbatim, from "The NakedCity" (1948) the only difference being his name here is Donnellyinstead of Muldoon. But there's little doubt the movie belongs to LyleBettger as the heartless and sadistic kidnapper. Beside Jack Elam hasthere ever been a meaner or nastier baddie in movies? Born in 1915Bettger made a full career out of playing menacing characters. He had asinister smirk and a scary glare that was positively unnerving. Hisfirst film was Barbara Stanwyck's "No Man Of Here Own" just beforeUNION STATION and with the exception of only one time playing the heroin "Carnival Story" (1954) he continued throughout a busy career to beevery moviegoer's favourite baddie "you loved to hate". Lyle Bettgerretired in 1979 and died in 2003 at the age of 88.Unusually there is no one composer credited with scoring the picture.But there are minor contributions from Heinz Reomheld and stock musicfrom Victor Young and Hugo Friedhofor. There is a spirited main titleover the credits which sounds very much to me like something the greatVictor Young could have written. The score was compiled and supervisedby Irvin Talbot.The DVD release is an impeccable transfer with sharp as a button imagesand smooth sound. Clearly they had access to a new print of the movieand it shows. But there are no extras - not even a trailer. But now fora word of caution! Watch out for the most ridiculous and irritatinglogo you are ever likely to see which comes at the start of the DVDfrom a crowd called Olive Films. This has to be some kind of gag! Butafter all is said and done you can be confident, this silly intro. doesnothing to diminish the excellence of the movie which remains atimeless classic.
ccthemovieman-1 13 April 2012
A Very Good, Unknown Film Noir
This was a bit of a sleeper, better than I thought and not a well-knownfilm to begin with, since it never came out on VHS. William Holden andNancy Olson both worked on Sunset Boulevard this same year this wasreleased and here are together again. Actually, I like the two a lotbetter in this film than the much better- known 'Boulevard.'Yes, some of the scenes are a bit dumb but the story moves well andkeeps your interest which is what a good crime story-drama should do.For some reason, I really enjoyed the train station, too. It lookedawesome. Hopefully, some day this movie will be part of a film-noir package onDVD.
Neil Doyle 06 April 2012
Taut thriller maintains high degree of suspense...
UNION STATION is a briskly paced thriller laced with enough suspense tokeep the viewer intrigued until the final shootout in a tunnel belowthe station where badman (LYLE BETTGER) must be tracked down byhard-boiled detective (WILLIAM HOLDEN) so that a blind girl (ALLENEROBERTS) can be returned safely to her father. Bettger has arranged aransom for the girl to the tune of $100,000 and is determined to keep agrip on the suitcase containing the ransom money.NANCY OLSON is the woman on the train who first notices that one of themen has come aboard with a gun and she immediately becomes suspiciousenough to report this to the authorities. Lead detective Holden takescharge and he and Olson gradually develop a relationship of trust thatleads to the finale where she's tending to his wounded shoulder, whileLAPD man (BARRY FITZGERALD) looks on approvingly, sensing love inbloom.It's directed in almost documentary style with a "Naked City" sort ofrealism. Holden and the police handle their suspects with realisticallyrough tactics which further heightens the tense realism of the story.JAN STERLING has a small role as a gun moll (what else?), who lets thepolice know that Bettger intends to kill the girl once he gets theransom.LYLE BETTGER is superb as the snarling villain, easily stealing many ofthe scenes with his brutally menacing tough guy role. No wonder heplayed this sort of man in so many films afterwards.Well worth watching, nice work by Holden and Olson, with faintcriticism for Barry Fitzgerald for mumbling much of his heavilyaccented dialog with that Irish brogue. The only other criticism isthat the director allows ALLENE ROBERTS to scream too much, whichbecomes tiresome and makes Bettger come up with the crack, afterslapping her: "For this, he's willing to put up $100,000."
dougdoepke 05 April 2012
Depots are for More Than Trains Only
Back when America took the train for out-of-town travel, depots werefull of hustling, bustling travelers, rather like today's airports.Judging from the opening scenes of this movie, you might think half thefolks in those stations were petty criminals and the other half werethere to catch them. Actually, the movie's a pretty good thriller. Therailroad cops are led by Holden who's after a kidnapping gang who'vegrabbed a blind girl (Allene Roberts), while Barry Fitzgerald heads thelocal cop contingent.There are some good imaginative touches, such as the stockyard scene,and the final chase through an underground tunnel. These, along withsome good location photography and a documentary style approach, helpbuild a general air of suspense. However, the documentary style is alsointerrupted by rather obvious studio sets, a none-too-convincingromance between Olson and Holden, and the un-cop like musings ofFitzgerald as comedy relief. Thus we're also reminded at criticalpoints that this is, after all, only a movie.The film has gone down in history books for one particularly memorablescene. In the train station, the cops have caught a gang confederateand need to make him tell the where-abouts of the kidnapped girl. Atfirst, the suspect feigns innocence. Now, in standard films of the day,sentencing pressure would have been brought to bear-- how the guy risksexecution should harm befall the girl, along with maybe some mildpushing around. Not here. Instead, the guy is hauled into a back room and ratherbrutally beaten-- already a big departure from the norm. When he stillrefuses to talk, he's dragged out onto the tracks, where Holden andcompany dangle him before an on-rushing locomotive. Wild now withfright, the suspect spills his guts. To my knowledge, this is eitherone of the only films of the time, if not the only one, to show copsnot only beating a suspect, but torturing him as well. It comes as astartling departure from what audiences had come to expect from theforces of law and order, and how it got past the censors is beyond me.Of course, we already know the guy is a gang member, so we may want toexcuse the extreme police methods. But keep in mind that movies areinherently a medium of manipulation. A good film-maker can make anaudience root for almost anything or anybody if he loads the deckcorrectly. Suppose in this case the movie hadn't tipped us off earlyabout the guy's guilt, and suppose the guy turned out to be innocentinstead. Would we feel the same way about the police methods. I doubtit, but however you respond, this remains an entertaining 90 minuteswith a particularly fine performance from Roberts as the trapped blindgirl.