Ravenloftrealm
Robert Taylor is his usually surly self in this sluggish crime drama. Playing a federal agent, Taylor tediously supplies voice over on how he is assigned to catch smugglers stealing plane engines in South America. Part of the gang is Ava Gardner. She is legendary as a Hollywood sex goddess and I'm still waiting to see her in just one effective role as a femme fatale. She's pretty much a goody two shoes here and does little to show off her sultry assets. The pace is brutal as the film plods ahead with little or no suspense. This film is a complete waste of time despite what seems on the surface to be a decent cast. This is the bottom of the barrel where crime dramas of the 40's are concerned. Try, 'Out of The Past' with Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer instead.
tireless_crank
what a shame, this could have been an iconic film noir but it is, if not spoiled, at least hurt by some bad casting and bad performances. Good enough plot and great characters. Ava Gardner at her luminous best and Charles Laughton in the best characterization of his career. Unfortunately Vincent Price needed to dial it back about 30% in the first half of the film; when he finally turned into the bad guy he was right on key. Perhaps he has only one 'happy' character to play and that was it. Richard Widmark in his less manic or Richard Conte would have been great. The biggest negative in this cast was Robert Taylor in his typical coarse way. His emoting is confined to the lower half of his face and his characterizations are always intensely shallow and unaffecting. Kirk Douglas or Bogart would have made this into a film of the level of Casablanca.
jotix100
Rigby, a federal agent, is asked to go South to Carlota, a small island off Central America, where a suspected smuggler has been operating. His mission is to get to know the operation and trap the man responsible for doing the illegal activity. On the flight down, he meets a friendly fellow American, Carwood, who is on his way to South America. Rigby makes believe he is a big game fisherman and his new friend tells him he will stop on the way back.On Carlota, Rigby meets Tug Hinten, a drunkard, who is his main suspect, and his wife, Elizabeth, a singer, at one of the island's watering holes. The attraction between Rigby and Elizabeth is apparent. She is a disillusioned woman in a bad marriage. Rigby is intrigued by one man that seems to show up everywhere, Bealer. What the fed man doesn't know is that Bealer has been working with Carwood and knows a lot about the newly arrived tourist.When Carwood arrives in Carlota, he wants to renew his acquaintance with Rigby. What Rigby doesn't know is that his new friend has something else in mind. Carwood proves he has come to take care of Rigby by trying to kill the agent during a fishing expedition. Bealer, an obese man with bad feet, knows much more about the criminal activities going on in the island. By the time Rigby realizes Carwood is not who he pretends to be, it's too late for Hinten. The final confrontation is between Carwood and Rigby during carnival where both men have the final battle among the impressive fireworks display.This MGM 1949 film was clearly a vehicle for its two stars, the gorgeous Ava Gardner and the handsome Robert Taylor. As directed by Robert Z. Leonard, "The Bribe" is not one of his most memorable pictures, but what it lacks in Marguerite Roberts' screenplay, is out weighed by some amazing performances. The last sequence is worth to stick with the movie until the end.Charles Laughton, who plays J.J. Bealer, makes an amazing appearance as the ambitious man that literally steals the show from its stars. Vincent Price is also at his best with his own take of Carwood, the criminal mind behind all the criminal activity in Carlota. Ava Gardner graces the picture with her beauty. Robert Taylor is effective as Rigby. The cinematographer, Joseph Ruttenberg, did a fine job with crisp images, especially the ones involving the finale. Miklos Rosza score contributes to create the right atmosphere.
papajim1
Film Noir? (kinda).. Slow paced. Plot a bit unbelievable, but lots of plots are. Taylor talks too much. I really liked Charles Laughton's portrayal, felt disgust and sympathy for his character at the same time, I think it was a gem of a performance. Ava is beautiful, as usual. Price is sinister, as usual. Hodiak is competent, as usual. Final fireworks are very impressive. If you have and hour and a half to spare, watch it and you'll only be wasting about 30 minutes.
