"One man behind the rock is worth three in the open."
"Whispering Smith" is an actual film noir Western, right down to the dialogue. Alan Ladd is a quiet and observant railroad detective unraveling (pretty easily) a series of train robberies. Robert Preston is his old friend, Murray, who's fallen in with a bad crowd. Of course Smith has a history with his old friend's wife.
This is in color, and isn't in cinemascope or vistavision or any of those, but the camera work is quite good. There's heavy use of shadows and key lighting that would be right at home in any traditional film noir. The Vasquez Rock location is used, which is always fun to see. So, so much movie and television done there... In fact if you watch closely you realize that they ride around it a couple of times. Decent story, mediocre script, adequate performances, but Alan Ladd is always good.
Overall, a solid Western from classic Hollywood with a serious noir bent. Worth a view.
"If they'd be any other way, I'da played it differently. You know that, don't you? The only cards I had wee the ones you dealt me."
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