12/06/2022

RICHARD FLEISCHER DIRECTS LAWRENCE TIERNEY IN 'BODYGUARD'

Title: BODYGUARD Year: 1948 Rating: **

Famously-capable director Richard Fleischer could turn out b-movie noirs and most were pretty good while actor Lawrence Tierney had the same appeal as either a leading villain or grimacing good guy... 

The latter here playing a tough maverick cop who punches the captain and loses his job in BODYGUARD, written by young future auteur Robert Altman and involving the owner of a meat-packing-plant (a strange concept in itself) having Tierney be her own personal... well... the title says it all...

from BODYGUARD

Actually it's her nephew that hires him, and from the first time he's on screen, bugging a reluctant Tierney for help, it's obvious he's our villain given the swarthy-smug aura; and soon enough one of the most popular noir elements occurs as Tierney's made Wrong Man for the murder of a...

Well for an initially basic premise it all gets rather complicated, and, sadly, given the talent on both sides of the camera, not very involving, in particular the awful miscasting of good-girl-next-door Priscilla Lane as Tierney's optimistic fiance, joining him in the last half's chase that really goes nowhere, slowly, making the programmer's 70-minute length seem like two very long hours. 

Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD with Phillip Reed
Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD
Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD
Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD
Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD
Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD
Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD
Priscilla Lane in BODYGUARD
Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD
Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD
Robert Altman credits BODYGUARD
Richard Fleischer credits BODYGUARD
Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD
Lawrence Tierney in BODYGUARD

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