Watching The Lineup it's easy to see why San Francisco had a reputation as a beautiful, romantic city. And on top of that Don Siegel managed to shhot his outdoor scenes on what must have been the sunniest days in SF history. That easily rates as half this movie's charms.
The other half of what makes The Lineup enjoyable is the tightly coiled performance from Eli Wallach and his mentor/partner Robert Keith. Wallach barely able to contain his sublimated rage. Keith coaching him along like an elderly guidance counsellor. There aren't too many crime duos I've enjoyed more. Frankly, a series of movies based on these two would probably be a lot more interesting than the weekly TV series about the stiffs in the SFPD.
Oh, about those cops. Their part of the movie plays like a Very Special After School Special. Had Siegel and the screenwriter dumped them and all vestiges of the TV crime procedural of the same name, and focused entirely on the Wallach/Keith exploits, this could have been a crackerjack movie.
If nothing else, the movie proves that Wallach's electrifying debut big-screen performance in Baby Doll was no fluke. Every scene he's in just crackles. For all the hoopla the big names of The Method school enjoyed, Wallach had them beat hands-down.
The other half of what makes The Lineup enjoyable is the tightly coiled performance from Eli Wallach and his mentor/partner Robert Keith. Wallach barely able to contain his sublimated rage. Keith coaching him along like an elderly guidance counsellor. There aren't too many crime duos I've enjoyed more. Frankly, a series of movies based on these two would probably be a lot more interesting than the weekly TV series about the stiffs in the SFPD.
Oh, about those cops. Their part of the movie plays like a Very Special After School Special. Had Siegel and the screenwriter dumped them and all vestiges of the TV crime procedural of the same name, and focused entirely on the Wallach/Keith exploits, this could have been a crackerjack movie.
If nothing else, the movie proves that Wallach's electrifying debut big-screen performance in Baby Doll was no fluke. Every scene he's in just crackles. For all the hoopla the big names of The Method school enjoyed, Wallach had them beat hands-down.