It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

In case you were not paying attention, it is necessary to get one major point out of the way, for starters. Although it is included in a box set, titled Film Noir Collection, this is not a Film Noir. Not everybody knows that, although you might be forgiven for thinking that everybody does know it. There are no shadows in this film. It all takes place in the brightest sunshine. There are no dark scenes, or dimly lit rooms. In fact, the version I saw was colourized. There is also no femme fatale, even though she is played by Jane Greer.Oddly, the blurb on the box set I own notes that Robert Mitchum is here re-united with Jane Greer, after Out of the Past. It then dates this film to 1944, whereas Out of the Past is dated 1947. Must be unusual to have stars re-unite before they've been united, but anything is possible in a film noir, especially if it isn't noir. This must be a bad mistake, as the film was actually made in 1949. It's really a jolly road caper, and a heist, also according to the blurb. The main baddie gets killed without too much trouble --- no tears are shed, but the stars survive, and it's all very entertaining. Worth a watch of an evening. A colourful comedy.

Dear Don Siegel, I decided to check out some of your earlier work since I am a big fan of some of the films which you made in the 60s and 70s. So I got The Big Steal (1949) and The Lineup (1958). I watched The Big Steal a couple of days ago. I did not adore it but it did have its moments. The film is about an army man (Robert Mitchum) who is accused of stealing money. While trying to hunt down the real thief in Mexico, the army man meets and falls in loves with the thief's fiancé (Jane Greer) while also being chased by another man. The film was made a couple of years after Mitchum and Greer united in Out of the Past (1947). Unlike the tragic Out of the Past, The Big Steal is a fun film that offers some beautiful visuals of and car chases set in the Mexican countryside. Mitchum looks young and cool while Greer is rather matronly. For me, it was mainly a film of place more than anything else. The arid and slightly run down Mexican countryside and the beautiful hotels distracted my attention away from the repetitive cat and mouse games between the four characters and their interactions with amused Mexican police officials. You did not experiment much with the film's look or editing. We are mostly treated to static camera angles while fast cuts are used frugally. The film does not overstay its welcome and ends at 71 minutes. I discovered some interesting trivia on IMDb - Originally, Lizabeth Scott had agreed to play the female lead. However, she bowed out after Mitchum was convicted for smoking marijuana, afraid it would hurt her career.Best Regards, Pimpin. (6/10)

Given the two leads, support, and director this, certainly viewed so long after the initial release, is disappointing. Mitchum and Greer have no problem working together and generating chemistry but that to one side this is a pale comparison with Build My Gallows High. On a superficial level it's merely a pursuit race south of the border with Mitchum and Greer chasing Patrick Knowles, Bendix chasing all three and silent star Ramon Navarro watching from the sidelines. As noted Mitchum and Greer are good value but Bogie, Tracy, Cagney and Robinson would be hard put to get this to fly. If anything it's a reminder of how Greer, like Marie Windsor, cornered the market in femmes fatale and how sorely missed both are.

Robert Mitchum reunites with his Out of the Past co-star, Jane Greer, as the two chase thief Patric Knowles through Mexico. While Mitchum's busy chasing Knowles, William Bendix is chasing Mitchum. Often cited as a film noir, I can't really see that at all. Sometimes it seems as though every movie involving crime from the early '40s through the mid '50s is labeled as film noir. Personally I don't go along with that. Film noir to me is a very specific genre with a certain kind of style. The Big Steal is too light and upbeat to be noir. In fact, it's much more of a romantic comedy than a noir crime drama. Whatever you want to call it, I'm sure you will enjoy it. The cast is great, the script is fun, the pace is smooth. The short runtime helps, too. Apparently Lizabeth Scott was originally supposed to play Jane Greer's role. I'm very happy that didn't happen as Scott is one of my least favorite actresses.