Federal Man

Federal Man (1950)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

After another agent is gunned down, narcotics Agent Phil Sherrin (William Henry) leads the investigation, which takes him from big cities down to small Mexican towns. He and his men are not only trying to find the drug dealers but also put an end to their violence. This film turned out to be a pretty rare one when it recently got its debut on Turner Classic Movies but I have to wonder why they'd put a thing like this on during prime time. This is certainly a "C" movie that features some well known "B" actors in a rather bland and predictable little drama that really doesn't have too much going for it outside of the nice cast. The biggest problem with the film is that it tries to be a lot smarter than it actually is. This is the type of film that tries to act like it knows a lot of behind the scenes stuff when everything we're watching is pretty laid back, boring and really just comes off as being unoriginal. The movie runs a short 67-minutes but the film seems twice as long due to the slow pacing and the fact that it seems the story never really knows where it wants to go. The cast is full of veterans with many who appeared in over one hundred films. Some might remember lead actor Henry from small parts in films like THE THIN MAN and TARZAN ESCAPES. He doesn't really put too much energy into his role nor does Lyle Talbot in his few scenes. Vet Robert Shayne and newcomer Joe Turkel also appear in the film. Movita, best known for playing a love interest in 1935's MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY and being Marlon Brando's future wife, appears as a Spanish dancer. Fans of "C" movies might be tempted to check this out like I was but there really wasn't anything here that grabbed my attention. The opening sequence is meant to be full of suspense but it falls flat on its face as does everything that follows.