Mary Ryan, Detective (1949)
A female police detective (Marsha Hunt) enters jail to gain the confidence of a shoplifter and learn the identity of the leader of a stolen goods racket.
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It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Well written, if familiar in certain aspects, this seems like a last ditch attempt at a film detective series as most of them were going by the way of radio serials. Marsha Hunt gives her all to this enjoyable B thriller where she pretends to be a professional shoplifter to infiltrate a gang of organized shoplifters, so crass that they use a child to swipe merchandise out of a jewelry store. Hunt's Mary Ryan, easily infiltrates the gang, but the threat of being recognized by one of the women she previously questioned (June Vincent) threatens to expose her.Hunt, a forgotten leading lady that managed to last longer than most in the business as an aging supporting actor, is simply fine, and the script is excellent as well. Unlike other films in this genre, the film doesn't resort to clichéd dialog or supporting characters, with the gang created as very clever and certainly a dangerous foe to be concerned about. Every detail is planned out and plotted perfectly, showing once again that sometimes the best films were the second features, given A's as ratings while on a B budget. Just be careful that when you unstuff your turkey, you check the dressing for diamonds!