I love this movie so much

Touches You

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

A lot of fun.

Great noir thriller. William Talman excels as the crime boss Purvis. The plot shoots at us with a relentless pace. The heist happens early on, with its inevitable complications leading to the end of the line for Talman.Adele Jergens nailed down her role as a burlesque dancer, girlfriend to Talman, and sometimes wife to the unlucky Douglas Fowley's Benny. Despite the short running time, Armored Car Robbery packs in plenty of scenes. The grungy dock area absorbs a lot of the movie, but we're nonetheless sent around to police headquarters, the sleazy nightclub and seedy bar, and the dark rainy streets and alleys of L.A.Talman's hyper demeanor maintains tension; we never know who he's going to strike out at next. His character's lack of sensitivity epitomizes the narcissistic criminal personality. His only value is a pay-off; "Here's to money" is his toast with Jergens. In the brilliant runway scene he's whacked by an incoming plane, his useless cash tumbling down around him like so much garbage. McGraw, as the tough police Lieutenant, isn't not nearly as entertaining as Talman. He does warm up a bit to his new rookie partner, but he's almost robotic for most of the film. A strong personality projects power. Since we know a Robert Mitchum character is tough, he can have nuances; McGraw has to pile it on so much he comes off as one-dimensional. His performance isn't bad at all, just not up to Talman's excellence.Very rewarding experience on many levels. Worth watching just for Talman and Jergens; not to mention for the atmosphere, plot, and supporting cast. Not to be missed.

Armored Car Robbery in the no frills style of noir that characterized RKO Studios is the story of just that. The execution and then police investigation of the robbery is subject of this film. It plays like an episode of Criminal Intent with the action shifting back and forth from the cops as represented by Charles McGraw and the crooks headed by William Talman.He's quite a piece of work in this film, Talman. He's proud of the fact that he's never even been pinched for anything, hence he's not on anyone's radar. His three accomplices, Steve Brodie, Gene Evans, and Douglas Fowley can't say that however.Also in the mix is the high maintenance stripper wife of the luckless Fowley. That would be Adele Jergens who split these kind of parts with Marie Windsor. Jergens has been trading up and Fowley would like to get the guy she's been cheating on him with. He doesn't have a clue that it's Talman.The Armored Car Robbery takes place in front of Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, it's the last stop on the route. That Wrigley Field was also named for the same guy who owned the Chicago Cubs and was the home of the Triple A Los Angeles Angels franchise of the Pacific Coast League. It's gone now, but just like the friendly confines in Chicago, LA's Wrigley Field was situated in a residential neighborhood as you see in the film.The robbery is successful, but Fowley is wounded and McGraw's partner is killed. Then the tension builds. McGraw is tough and smart, but Talman is ruthless and no fool. It all ends in quite a nice shootout climax. Like last year's The Town which also featured a robbery of a ballpark, Armored Car Robbery doesn't quite have that film's budget. But RKO studios specialized in getting these kind of films done right and tight. Armored Car Robbery is a great example of what this studio specialized in.

A good early killer crime flick from director Richard Fleischer, who really hit his straps 20 years later with the classic sci-fi "Soylent Green" (1973).This film noir is well plotted, has a great storyline and is interesting and absorbing throughout. At 67 minutes it achieves its required result with very little padding.Brisk performances from the gravel voiced Charles McGraw who had made it big in TV in the mid-50's with "The Adventures of Falcon".Tough blonde Adele Jergen, who had a tragic life off screen, is great as the lover of gangland leader William Talman who made a career as the District Attorney who always lost to Perry Mason.If it ever comes on one of the movie channels do yourself a favour and see it.7/10

Most noir enthusiasts would, I'm sure, agree that the modern heist thriller was basically born with John Huston's 'The Asphalt Jungle (1950).' But it wasn't alone for long. Just one month after its release, Richard Fleischer released his own heist flick, a low-budget B-movie with no star power (unless you count supporting player Charles McGraw, who was no stranger to film noir – see 'Roadblock (1951)'). With its very brief running-time, 'Armoured Car Robbery (1950)' strips away all unnecessary fat, leaving hardly a moment to draw breath as the gang of thieves execute a brilliant heist, before losing out to the authorities, all in 67 minutes. The one classic crime element we're denied is the preparation for the heist itself. When the four co-conspirators first approached the intended site of attack, I thought that they were going through a trial-run as part of their planning, but, no, they went straight for the hit. As such, most of the film is concerned with how their "perfect" heist unravels, like a ball of yarn with a trailing thread.The film's low-budget is readily seen in its production values. Rather than the shadowy, stylised noir photography with which we're most familiar, cinematographer Guy Roe instead opts for a documentary-style realism. The performances also reflect this approach, though there are some some strong actors in the mix. William Talman, as Dave Purvis, is a classic criminal mastermind, a calculating genius who engineers every movement to the nearest second. Square-jawed McGraw, whom I maintain is a dead ringer for Kirk Douglas, is also excellent as tough cop Cordell, who's eager to dish out retribution for the death of his long-time partner (James Flavin). Icy dame Adele Jergens plays an alluring exotic dancer, though her role in the film is mostly passive. A swift and blunt piece of storytelling, 'Armoured Car Robbery' lives up to its matter-of- fact title, not putting anything new on the table, but utilising its resources well. The ending, with thousands of dollars in notes flittering across an airport runway, seems to have inspired Kubrick in 'The Killing (1956).'