Tight Spot | Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson | B movie with academy award acting.

Tight Spot | Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson | Witty dialog, interesting performances.

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Tight Spot

	Tight Spot Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson Sony Pictures, 1998 average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

B movie with academy award acting.

"Tight Spot" was a gem. Unexpected, to me, after the early part of the movie seemed to have an inevitable ending. It didn't turn out that way.

Rogers was perfect for the plot, which was perfect for Rogers. Her actual age, 45, was perfect for the age of a society reject who was dragged from prison for one purpose: testify against a murderous criminal. The plot twists weren't brilliant, perhaps, but I did enjoy them, as well as the acting of all the key players.

From the acting standpoint, I think Ginger was fabulous. I would give her a ten, on all counts.

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Witty dialog, interesting performances.

Tight Spot is a crime suspense movie with a bit of a comedy-drama feel from Ginger Rogers' crackly performance as a streetwise and otherwise wise convict. The situation: Prosecutor Edward G. Robinson has convict Rogers moved from prison to protective custody in a hotel room, guarded by cop Brian Keith, to persuade her to testify against mobster Lorne Greene. Rogers delivers witty dialogue by the truck load in spite of the dangerous situation, and finds a new dance partner in Brian Keith. The witty banter between cop & con as they fall head over heels for each other is entertaining, but unfortunately that detracts a bit from the suspense. Meantime the gangsters bungle their first attempt on her life, killing a police woman in the guard detail. I recommend the movie more for the witty dialogue than for the suspense, and even more than that for the trivia value if you're a film buff - it has both Keith and Greene in some of their earliest major roles, and Rogers and Robinson deliver outstanding performances.

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Over verbose but competent thriller

Tight Spot was based on a play and it shows.Most of the action takes place on a single set and there is more dialogue than usual in thrillers of this type.
Ginger Rogers plays a prisoner brought to the City by prosecutor Edward G Robinson in the hope that he can persuade her to testify against a mobster whom he is seeking to get deported.She is reluctant and the movie deals with attempts to persuade her ,and the bid by the mob to put the issue beyond all doubt by killing her.Another plot strand covers the growing attraction between Rogers and Brian Keith as the cop assigned to protect her .
The movie is weakened by a rather forced performance from Rogers who seems to be trying too hard in a role that needs a stronger dramatic presence such as that of a Stanwyck or a Crawford.Robinson is fine as are the other cast members .It was interesting to see a pre Bonanza Lorne Greene giving an edgy performance as the mob chief.
Modest and capable but not a top echelon movie

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A competent vehicle for Ginger Rogers, with a solid performance by Edward G. Robinson

Tight Spot has a potentially taut story going for it, as well as some noirish photography, a skilled performance by Edward G. Robinson and a solid, conflicted performance by Brian Keith. Unfortunately, it also is primarily a vehicle for a big star who was facing age and a new generation of movie goers. The film also was adapted from a stage play. Much of the movie feels declarative, with far too many opportunities for Ginger Rogers to "act."

A key witness who can send vicious crime boss Benjamin Costain (Lorne Greene) into the slammer and then have him deported is shot down on Gotham's courtroom steps. Government lawyer Lloyd Hallet (Edward G. Robinson) discovers another possible witness who could incriminate Costain if she'll testify. She's Sherry Conley (Ginger Rogers), a feisty, smart-mouth con who is in prison doing a five-year term for a crime she says she had nothing to do with. Hallet pulls her out of prison and installs her in a fancy hotel. He assigns police detective Vince Slater (Brian Keith) and a team of officers to protect her. And then he tries to convince her to testify against Costain. He promises to cancel the rest of her sentence. He describes how bad a guy Costain is. He appeals to her sense of justice. But Sherry knows the other witness was gunned down. She's tough and no one's patsy. While this is going on, Costain has been busy. He's learned which hotel she's at, even the room. We know anyone staying in 2409 at the St. Charles Hotel is going to be in for an upsetting night. The hotel's lobby is dark and lonely. The hallways are empty and seem to go on forever. Sherry and Vince, who initially is tense and disdainful toward her, begin to warm up to each other. We learn Sherry isn't the playgirl her reputation would have us believe. When the first assassination attempt takes place, windows are smashed, a gunman almost breaks in and bullets go flying. Sherry and a police woman she has come to like are wounded, the woman seriously. It takes a death to convince Sherry that a man as ruthless as Costain must be put away. Despite another assassination attempt, we last see her sitting in the witness box, staring at Costain, as Hallet begins his questions.

Rogers was 44 when she made this movie. She looks great but it's obvious she's playing below her age. She also has a tendency to chew the scenery. Her wise-guy persona simply doesn't ring true. We know it's Ginger Rogers acting. There are far too many opportunities for her to have dramatic moments...Sherry telling us about herself...Sherry and her sister arguing...Sherry describing her life when she was just 16. None of it seems authentic. The movie is a vehicle for an aging star who could still command above-the-title roles, but where those roles were more and more often in second-rate movies.

Rogers might make us a little uncomfortable, but Edward G. Robinson made me really sad. Here was this great actor, placed unfairly and unofficially on the Hollywood blacklist at the start of the Fifties, unable to get roles worthy of him in first-rate films, having to take work in stuff like this. Remember films of his like Vice Squad, The Big Leaguer, The Glass Web and Black Tuesday? Didn't think you did. They were all scarcely more than programmers made by Hollywood journeymen. They were all from this period. Robinson, as far as I'm concerned, never turned in a bad performance despite all this. With Tight Spot he effortlessly dominates all the scenes he's in. He doesn't try to steal any glory from Rogers, but it is his performance which seems the most authentic and interesting.

Tight Spot is at best a competent film tailored to the needs of Ginger Rogers. It's not bad; it's just workmanlike. If you like old films, Tight Spot may be worth a watch. The movie is only available on VHS. It looks good.

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Not sorry I watched it but. . .

Not enough of Edward G. Robinson, who can do more with the bags under his eyes than most actors can do with their whole faces. Too much of Ginger Rogers in a horrible hair-cut and a horribly strained effort to play the "bad good girl." In fact, that's too mild; she's just horrible in this. Brian Keith does a very creditable job. There are some well played small parts - the policewoman, the sister, Lorne Greene as the gangster, who is a revelation for those of us who have never seen him in anything other than Bonanza. The script can't quite decide whether it's a suspense or a comedy and fails at both, but it has enough bright moments of each to make it worth watching.

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reviews: page 1, 2

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