User reviews

This is a neat, no-frills thriller about an intricately planned train heist, the turbulent insurance investigator assigned to the case, and his hard-nosed boss whose motto is "There's no such thing as a perfect crime." Filmed in the flat, greyish TV style of the 50s with occasional expressionist touches, it is rife with plot twists and intriguing characters, and features a supporting cast of familiar faces (Alan Reed, Jack Klugman, etc). It should appeal to those who prefer story over stylishness. Tough-guy Stevens starred in several top-notch noirs of the 40s, and directed a couple of good second-feature thrillers in the 50s, including Cry Vengeance.

"Time Table" is a rather forgotten crime film which was directed by and stars Mark Stevens—a very capable but mostly forgotten actor from the 50s and 60s. It's really a shame the film isn't seen and lauded, as it's quite good—especially since it has a very modest budget. I've never seen it on TV nor DVD but fortunately it IS in the public domain and is therefore available through archive.org—a website often linked to films on IMDb. Download a free copy and watch it—it's quite good.

The film starts off wonderfully—with one of the most intelligently filmed heists I can remember. You really need to see it—and I don't want to spoil it by saying more about this. In the next scene, a couple are talking about their upcoming and much-needed vacation to Mexico when the phone rings—the husband (Stevens) is needed at once. It seems he's an investigator for the insurance company covering the heist—and they want him to look into it ASAP. This means the vacation is on hold.

When the investigation begins, it's quite obvious that the crime was very, very professional and was carried out with attention to every detail. However, during the robbery, somehow one of the gang was injured—and this might be the lead they need to break the case. But, in a WONDERFUL twist, the audience soon learns that there is so much more to the story than anyone has anticipated and the identity of the big brains of the operation is quite the surprise. I'd say more but don't want to spoil it.

Some might consider this film to be an example of Film Noir. Well, it is a crime film from the 1950s and is pretty unflinchingly violent in places. However, the film lacks the snappy dialog and cinematography you'd expect for Noir. I personally like the way the movie was handled, as it seemed more realistic than Noir—like you were watching a real investigation unfold. Fascinating throughout.

Gang executes intricate train robbery, putting two insurance investigators on their trail, with a major twist.

At about the time Kubrick was making a reputation with his heist film The Killing (1956), Mark Stevens put together this little gem. Unlike Kubrick's classic, this caper film doesn't rise to semi-artistic heights, but it is tight, tough, and well-acted, with some nice touches. For example, there're the surly baggage handler and the brusque airplane mechanic, both colorful bits that could have easily remained routine.

Aben Kandel's script is carefully plotted, dribbling out pieces of information that keep us glued to developments-- plus that great opening hook with its careful staging. But what I especially like is his and Stevens' attention to jilted wife Ruth (Stewart). It would have been so easy to shove this plain-faced woman aside as Stevens cavorts with the lovely Linda (Farr). Instead they play up her heartbreak as this drably devoted wife watches the collapse of everything she holds dear. In my book, it's a sensitive dimension that helps lift this 80- minutes beyond the simply well-crafted.

In addition to Stewart's fine performance is King Calder's (Armstong). His humorless, Bassett hound face is perfect for the dogged investigator who knows the importance of visualizing and goes where the evidence takes him, regardless. Look too for Jack Klugman (Frankie) in one of his earliest film roles.

Judging from Stevens' list of credits (IMDB), he's one of those contract players trying his best after the break up of the old studio system and the decline of the B-movie. Whatever his later misfortunes (Gunsight Ridge {1957}; Gun Fever {1958})-- he and Kandel team up to score solidly with this overlooked little caper gem.

This is a fast paced crime thriller involving a well synchronized heist of $500,000 from a train. Insurance investigator Charlie Norman (Stevens) and railroad detective Joe Armstrong (Calder) are called in to investigate the crime. The gang of thieves seem to have thought of everything and covered their tracks well. But then things start to unravel and the gang's leader kills one of gang members who is on the verge of telling all to the police. Armstrong is a dogged detective who pays attention to the smallest detail and whose motto is "There's no such thing as a perfect crime." That's certainly so in this case. Stevens does an okay job as Charlie Norman but he doesn't have a particularly striking screen presence and often delivers his lines too flatly. Even so, this movie has a couple of great twists and maintains interest throughout

The Quick Pitch: $500,000 in cash is stolen from a train's baggage car.

Not a lot to say other than that this is a good one. My little plot summary may be shorter than usual, but I don't want to spoil anything. Time Table has a couple of plot twists that are about as good as any I've seen. The first comes early on in the film. While I may have had an inkling of what was about to happen, I still enjoyed watching the events unfold. But the second twist caught me by complete surprise. What fun!

Time Table is one of those films that proves you can (or at least you could in 1956) make a quality little movie without breaking the bank. Given budgetary constraints, director Mark Stevens created a tense, atmospheric crime/noir/thriller that moves at a brisk pace and is entertaining throughout. Not only does Stevens direct, but he also stars in Time Table. His performance is just as solid as his direction. The mostly no-name supporting cast is equal to the challenge. I'm sure I could pick a few things to complain about, but why bother when a movie is this enjoyable.

7/10

It's remarkable how many actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood began or ended their careers making crime pictures ( or horror movies). Mark Stevens is a case in point. He began promisingly enough with the stylish noir The Dark Corner in 1946 and basically ended it with Timetable ten years later. Was he a classic Marlowesque private eye in the first one, in Timetable the rigors of maintaining a Hollywood career have visibly and morally taken their toll. Directed by Stevens himself, all the glamour of the classic noir is drained from both the look of the film as from the protagonists. Stevens has the look of a man who has seen too much and has basically given up hope that his life will change for the better. Even his last desperate attempt to turn his life around seems doomed from the start. Which is not helped by the strict moral code of the day that is constantly underlined, namely that Crime Doesn't Pay. The plot is a little convoluted, but then that's not what we watch these movies for. Stylistically it has little going for it,and small effort was made to avoid a stage-bound look. But the performances are adequate enough and especially Stevens is totally convincing as the world-weary protagonist. For noir fans this one is certainly worth a look.

I seen many bad reviews for this film and I just do not get it. I love it, it may not be the greatest film ever made but I love it. It is cheesy and I am okay with that. If you watch it without being overly critical it is a fun watch. It has its twists and turns which keep you interested. The plot is pretty decent and for the time original. If you like this genre of film you should really enjoy this one. Mark Stevens does a credible job as the lead and it is the earliest film I believe I saw Jack Klugman in. Ignore the nay sayers and give it go it may not be the best film you have seen but it will keep you entertained and in the end that is all a film is supposed to do. Yes there are some issues with the film but it was not a big budget movie and they do a brilliant job with what they are given. Try it, you won't regret it.

The film gets off to a really good start. A slick crime with no clues appearing and you're wondering how the investigators are going to solve it. I'm thinking this is great (8 or 9 out of 10); a real puzzle but out of the blue they catch a member of the gang with no explanation as to how they found him. Then other members of the gang start making mistakes by not following orders. If the crime had been solved by deduction it could have been a great movie. Gripping start but soon disappoints.

You would think that by 1956 nobody could breathe new life into a train robbery tale. But in this film there are two major surprising twists, one near the beginning and then one smack in the middle.

Because half a million was taken in the robbery, a crack insurance investigator has his vacation to Mexico postponed to solve this crime. He is paired up with a bulldog of a railroad detective. Very shortly the pair determine that this crime was meticulously planned. But because it is obvious the crooks were working by a "time table" (thus the title), the railroad investigator says that is their weak link. Find a place where they couldn't make their time table, and the case should be something that can be cracked.

This is somewhat like a film noir and somewhat like a crime drama - a bit half and half. The interesting theme here is that of a normal middle class person turning to crime not because of one small bad decision snowballing or some life event causing a desperate need for money beyond their means, but because of living a life of "quiet desperation". Maybe this film is not remembered so much because that theme has become quite common in the decades that have passed. But in the "I Like Ike" 1950s, the idea of somebody not being happy with a chicken in their pot and their suburban tract home was almost blasphemy.

I'd highly recommend it. I haven't given too many details because to say much at all would spoil it for you.

A funny coincidence - Actor Raymond Bailey as the insurance company executive, calmly stating that if the crime cannot be solved and the loot recovered, then the company may have to pay out half a million. Bailey played skinflint banker Milburn Drysdale during the 1960s in the Beverly Hillbillies, and THAT character would have had a heart attack over losing such a sum!

After robbers steal $50,000 from a train, an insurance investigator (Mark Stevens) is assigned to investigate, who in fact one of the ring leaders of the train robbery and needs to make the investigation seem credible.

Produced, directed by and starring Stevens, this is an interestingly plotted crime thriller written by Aben Kendel that contains plenty of twists and turns with some decent changes in direction with Stevens' character trying to double cross his co-thieves.

There were two main reasons really to see 'Time Table' (well, as well as the oddly intriguing title). The premise was interesting and it is the sort of film that has for a while appealed to me. The other, and actually the main, reason was that it appeared in the more like this section based on my love of classic film and the genre. Am not somebody that knows Mark Stevens' work very well and what has been seen has been watchable but never wowed me.

Which is the case with 'Time Table', an above average film (just) but not great. A film that does a lot right, more right than wrong when it comes to quantity. But 'Time Table' to me was also a film that could have been a lot better, considering the premise and the genre it falls under, the flaws being more than a couple and they're quite big sadly. It starts off great and ends just as well but is more uneven in between while never being hard to watch.

Starting with what didn't come over quite so well, the production values are fairly threadbare. Some clever photography early on, but it all feels too confined and the low budget and indication of rushed production show in the sets. The music can be too intrusive agreed.

'Time Table's' story would have been even better if less events happened off screen and made it on screen instead (or at some), which may have given the story more clarity. Stevens' performance was a bit mixed for me, in terms of charisma he struck me as reliable if not riveting but some of his line delivery is flat.

A lot of things make up for those shortcomings though. 'Time Table' starts off pretty incredibly, with an opening that really gripped me, was cleverly shot and had tension and intrigue. The identity of the responsible when revlealed was a shcok in a pretty genius twist not expected at all. Leading to a very well staged, non-contrived and suspenseful finish, even if the outcome was on the predictable side.

Despite being mixed on his performance Stevens directs credibly, showing better skill as director than as lead actor. The script is tight and treats the viewer with respect throughout, while the story doesn't have a dull stretch, is not too hard to swallow and has well thought-out twists. The excitement and menace are there. There is good support playing, from Felicia Carr, Jack Klugman and King Calder, Calder giving the best performance.

Altogether, above average but not exceptional. 6/10

Mark Stevens was a terrific film noir actor, reminding me of William Holden, but never an A-lister. This excellent movie that he made as producer, director and star for United Artists has the precision and impact of a Kubrick movie, and still packs a wallop 70 years after it was made.

The ingenious plotting and structure is different from the usual caper or trackdown movie, with enough twists and turns to keep me constantly guessing, and guessing wrong. The power of real B movies from the '40s and '50s is the tight characterizations, and what a treat to see John Marley a decade or so before his rise to prominence as such a distinctive character actor for Cassavetes and Coppola -here a great supporting role as one of the doomed criminals. Similarly, Jack Klugman is just right as a poor slob being interrogated.

The talent of Stevens on view here makes it such a shame that his career as a filmmaker didn't flourish -reminds me of my favorite character actor of the next generation, Steve Ihnat, who worked with Robert Duvall early in their careers but died young after only directing a couple of movies.

But only for the first quarter of an hour, exactly until the robbery is over. After that, the rest of the film is just boring dialogue and there are scenes where things that don't make sense happen. But, once again, the beginning of the film is unique, spectacular, avant-garde for 1956. That's why 7 stars, for the bold, intelligent, original robbery of the train car.

Quite a complex crime thriller directed by and starring Mark Stevens ("Charlie Norman"). The gist being that a gang steal $500k from a moving railway train. The insurance company put their ace investigator "Norman" onto the case with his old pal "Joe Armstrong" (King Calder). Soon it is quite clear that something is amiss and "Armstrong" becomes suspicious that his buddy might be more involved than he ought to be. The supporting cast benefit from a little more character depth than we might expect from this low budget affair and are superb in keeping it moving along sharpishly; there are plenty of crumbs for us to follow and the dialogue is quick and to the point.

Brilliant tight thriller and a minor but classical noir. There is everything in it: a doomed romance, an alcoholic doctor, bars with loose women, corruption and murder - although a minor film, it provides it all. The perfect crime is flawlessly staged, and when one slight detail goes wrong the whole watertight enterprise gradually starts to disintegrate but slowly, piece by piece, as an honest man with a happy marriage by his own doing gradually is pushed further and further down the abyss of increasing criminality. Mark Stevens made many films of this kind and acted in even more, and although he never quite got out into the limelight as any central figure, his performances and contributions were always reliable, usually on low budget. This was probably one of his best films, which he directed, produced and acted himself, and there is no pause for catching your breath in the constantly accelerating action. This is a film to return to for its ingenious composition.

The movie gets off to a great start with Wesley Addy pulling off a very cool heist on board a rail train. Sadly the film is fairly routine stuff from then on and virtually nothing more is seen of Addy. Mark Stevens plays an insurance investigator who was actually the brain behind the heist and so an echo here of the classic "Double Indemnity"

A great unexpected noir film. Don't let the opening scenes fool you. Well worth the watch. Great acting by everyone involved.

Mark Stevens starred in, directed, and produced this film, Timetable, from 1956.

The story begins on a train when a doctor (Wesley Addy) is asked to look at a sick passenger. Concerned it is polio, the doctor orders the car sealed off and says he has to get medication from his suitcase in the baggage car.

He also asks for an unscheduled stop and an ambulance waiting.

Once in baggage, he pulls a gun on the baggage handlers, sedates them, and steals $500,000 of payroll.

It's a near perfect crime, and Stevens, an insurance investigator joins a police detective to attempt to crack the case. It won't be easy.

The best part of this film is the beginning as well as a twist that you won't see coming.

It's done on the cheap, but the script is good.

This seems relatively well regarded amongst my peers on the IMDb . TIME TABLE gets off to a relatively good start involving a heist on a train . It's not spectacular but is somewhat intelligent . Alas however you realise the reason it isn't spectacular isn't down to the film relying on smart scripting but something more pragmatic - it lacks a budget and this becomes infuriating . The camera constantly stays locked the actors on small sets that probably indicates it was shot on location , ie a scene is set in a motel and it looks like a motel interior too but it doesn't strike you as cinema verite but more like very cheap B movie cinema . This is reflected in scene following tedious scene without any incident except for the cops interviewing suspect after suspect . In order to bring any excitement to the proceedings the director Mark Stevens - who also stars in the lead role - has the most annoying and intrusive musical score drown everything out . There is a fairly exciting climax at the end but by this time I was probably beyond caring