One of the most irritating things that I've heard is the occasional claim that the '50s were an innocent, wholesome era. Leaving aside the fact that drooling nostalgia ignores the bad things that happened (and there were lots of those in the '50s), it's mainly a bland characterization of the past. It pushes the idea that there was little to no crime back then. Well, if film noirs are any indication, there was not only crime, but corruption and all manner of sleaze. Movies like "Kiss of Death", "In a Lonely Place" and "The Killing" show some of humanity's basest tendencies. A lesser known one is Roy Rowland's Academy Award-nominated "Rogue Cop". Like many entries in the genre, this depicts gangsters, corrupt cops, and blonde women. While it lacks the sheer grittiness of "Kiss of Death" or "In a Lonely Place" - probably because MGM was the studio that turned out the likes of "The Wizard of Oz", so a crime picture was a bit of a challenge for them - it still packs a punch. I found the most effective scene to be where Janet Leigh's character takes Robert Taylor's character to task for using the case to advance his career. You don't usually expect the elegant Leigh to be that forceful, but it shows her versatility as an actress.It's not a masterpiece but worth seeing. Aside from Taylor and Leigh, the cast includes George Raft, Anne Francis and Alan Hale Jr. In other words, it stars Marion Crane, Spats, Altaira Morpheus and the Skipper.

"Rogue Cop" is a 1954 film starring Robert Taylor, George Raft, Janet Leigh, Anne Francis, and Steve Forrest.People seem surprised Taylor pulls off the tough guy act - I've seen him do it before, and he was good at it.This is a no-nonsense film about a cop on the take (Taylor) whose honest cop brother (Forrest) can identify someone involved in a murder. The guy who pays off Taylor (Raft) wants him to convince his brother to suddenly not identify him. His brother won't go along with it, making for problems.I had actually just seen a 1933 Taylor film and what struck me is how many octaves his voice had gone down! Smoking and age will do that.There isn't anything special about this film. Janet Leigh is beautiful as Forrest's girlfriend with a past, and Anne Francis is Raft's decades-younger alcoholic girlfriend. Both women are fresh- faced and lovely. No pulling of punches in this movie by Taylor. My mother worshiped the ground he walked on, so I well remember his series, The Detectives. He could be rough and tough with the best of them.

This picture is an example of a perfect cast. The leading role is a possibility for Robert Taylor to prove that he is an allrounder as an actor. Hard, dirty and gritty - he even use "angelface" Janet Leigh for his interests. Miss Leigh as pretty and credible as always. The same to George Raft. He even could play his part asleep. Anne Francis, Steve Forrest and Vince Edwards are also convincing. Roy Rowland (he directs Taylor in the western-comedy-hit "Many rivers to cross") captures the atmosphere of policeman and gentleman-gangster. Writer Boehm also is the author of "The big heat" an movie which is similar in atmosphere and plot.

Robert Taylor plays Chris Kelvaney, a dirty cop on the take with the mob in this exciting police drama. Taylor goes on a campaign of revenge against those very mobsters, who decide to kill Kelvaney's brother, also a cop, for witnessing something that could incriminate the mob leaders.The biggest surprise here is Robert Taylor's performance as the dirty cop. We have seen him play many rather stiff heroic types such as in "Ivanhoe", but here, he is tough and gritty as the dirty cop, and very believable. The dialogue in this movie is sharp and well written and similar to a Raymond Chandler detective novel. There is also a good fist-fight between Alan Hale, Jr. ( yes! the skipper on Gilligans Island) and Robert Taylor. A top notch supporting cast rounds out what is an overall good movie , especially for those who like the old hard-boiled detective stories.