Sang Adam Ant in the 1980s. It wasn't a particularly good song and this isn't a particularly good film. Nothing about it rings true. Everybody's actions and reactions are completely wrong. Raymond Burr (Walt) as the villain is the saving grace but he can't save this on his own. An example of this unrealistic behaviour is demonstrated when Steve Brodie and his wife Audrey Long decide to shelter. Bear in mind that their lives are in serious danger. So where would you go? Yep, a family member's house, of course. No-one would think to look there. Whilst you're at it, why not re stage a massive wedding ceremony for all the village to attend to attract a bit of attention, especially as you don't want anyone to know where you are? Oh, sorry, you have already arranged that. Well, that's good then. This film is totally stupid. There are loads more examples of this kind of stupidity throughout the film. Will the good guys win? This film disappointed me and Steve Brodie's actions are just ridiculously unrealistic. He's dealing with a gang who could kill him, for goodness sake. He should have been dead very early on.

Anthony Mann directs this noir-thriller. Steve Randall(Steve Brodie)is a young independent trucker that is tricked into transporting stolen furs for mobster Walt Radak(Raymond Burr). Quick money is the incentive; while Steve has no idea the job is for an old neighborhood friend turned tough guy Radak. Walt's younger brother is nabbed by the cops when Steve tries to botch the job. To get even Radak lets the police know how to find Randall. The young trucker gathers his wife Anne(Audrey Long)going on the lam hiding from both Radak and the cops. All the while, Randall's wife urges him to take his chances by giving himself up to the law. Burr is outstanding; Brodie seems effortless. Other players include: William Challee, Freddie Steele, Douglas Fowley, Ilka Gruning and Jason Robards Sr. DESPERATE is barely above average.

Raymond Burr shines in Desperate an early film in his career. You could tell this man was going to be films for the long haul. Although it would have been a shame if he only was cast as thuggish gangsters for the rest of his life.But in that part he steals the film from leads Steve Brodie and Audrey Long. Brodie is a friend of Burr's since childhood and Brodie's recently returned from the war, married his sweetheart Long, and is now settling into a career as a truck-driver. Burr conceives a brilliant scheme in which he hires Brodie for his truck as part of a heist only he doesn't tell Brodie about it. When the heist is a bust and Burr's younger brother is captured and a cop killed in foiling the robbery, Burr's conceives a nasty hatred for Brodie and Brodie and Long have to flee. Suspicion is also on Brodie so the police are after him as well.It's really quite preposterous when you think about it. Burr takes the eager kid brother along on the job because the brother wants to emulate his sibling. Then when he's caught it isn't his fault, it's the fault of the guy who was tricked into it and who foiled Burr's plans. But I saw a situation like that in my own life.I knew this man who was in fact quite a lowlife himself. But he did rise to a position of some authority and insisted on bringing his equally raised lowlife son into his business. The kid was also a prize specimen with a serious drug problem and was busy in his supervisory position extorting the other employees for monies to feed his habit. The father was completely blind to his kid's problem, it was everyone else who was conspiring against his precious son. In the end the kid both lost the job and ended dying of cocaine contributed heart problems. To this day the father won't recognize his own culpability. In a nutshell that's Raymond Burr's character here.Steve Brodie had a good career as a secondary lead, this was one of his few starring roles. He was a good actor, but his height prevented him from gaining stardom and he didn't have the charisma of a James Cagney who could have really done something with this character. So could Alan Ladd over at Paramount. Audrey Long is probably best remembered for playing opposite John Wayne in Tall In The Saddle where she is in competition with Ella Raines for the Duke. Brodie and Long are fine, but this is really Raymond Burr's film.

...Anthony Mann made remarkable film noirs."Desperate" is not your average "gangsters movie" .It's valid drama,and Mann's heroes are the boy-next-door and his wife.The gangsters ,most of the time,work behind the stage,and Mann makes us feel all Steve's trials ,fleeing both the Police and a gangster out for revenge (the relationship between the two brothers is only sketched ,and it's the only flaw of an excellent screenplay).Steve is a good guy,a victim,not unlike William Irish's (aka Cornell Woolrich's) characters ,and the audience sides with him all along the way.Remakable scenes: -The arrival at the aunt's farm and the wedding.-Steve's last meal and the insistent ticking of a clock.Like this? try these...."You only live once" Fritz Lang ,1936 "They live by night" Nicholas Ray ,1948 "Tomorrow is another day" Felix Feist ,1952