Review of Rogue River

Rogue River (1951)
6/10
A solid, underrated, low-budgeter with interesting characters and a clever plot point or two.
19 January 2009
I can't agree with the other comment. This movie may not have a lot of money behind it, but it's not studio bound. It has plenty of location shooting in the Pacific northwest. It also has a nifty plot point that elevates the production above the standard second feature level. Its protagonist is the sober, stolid chief law enforcement officer of a small community, a man whose reputation is his most cherished asset. When the town bank is robbed and the thieves make off with a hefty chunk of dough, he focuses his investigation on an old prospector, a sort of village eyesore with few friends, who protests his innocence despite the large haul of cash that is unexpectedly found among his effects. Without revealing too much of the plot, I'll just say that the scuzzy old prospector contrives a delicious revenge for the discomfiture he's subjected to. If you approach this movie with grandiose expectations you'll definitely be disappointed. It's not terribly special and can't sustain any sort of cult following. And from what the other comment implies, the only available print is inferior. But it has enough touches of character, along with some clever story construction, to keep you interested.
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