THE RACKET is a very familiar crime story produced by Howard Hughes. The typically mild-mannered Robert Mitchum stars as a cop leading a task force against the sinister criminal organisation blighting his city, and the man at the top is a ruthless murderer who has to be stopped at all costs.
What follows is entirely predictable to anybody who's familiar with this genre in any way, but at the same time it's rather engaging with a literate script and some excellent performances from actors who lift the material above its pulpish origins. Mitchum is only middling here as he seems to be sleepwalking through the role, but Robert Ryan's kingpin is much better and rather hissable. The real scene-stealer, though, is William Talman (THE HITCH-HIKER) as the rookie cop who finds himself involved in something far beyond his means.
What follows is entirely predictable to anybody who's familiar with this genre in any way, but at the same time it's rather engaging with a literate script and some excellent performances from actors who lift the material above its pulpish origins. Mitchum is only middling here as he seems to be sleepwalking through the role, but Robert Ryan's kingpin is much better and rather hissable. The real scene-stealer, though, is William Talman (THE HITCH-HIKER) as the rookie cop who finds himself involved in something far beyond his means.