The Undercover Man

"TOLD WITH THE SNARL OF A MACHINE GUN!"

1949 1h 25m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 43

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Frank Warren is a treasury agent assigned to put an end to the activities of a powerful mob crime boss. Frank works undercover, posing as a criminal to seek information, but is frustrated when all he finds are terrified witnesses and corrupt police officers.

“TOLD WITH THE SNARL OF A MACHINE GUN!”

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Cast

Glenn Ford
Frank Warren
Nina Foch
Judith Warren
James Whitmore
George Pappas
Barry Kelley
Attorney Edward J. O'Rourke
Frank Tweddell
Inspector Herzog
Howard St. John
Joseph S. Horan
John F. Hamilton
Police Desk Sergeant Shannon
Leo Penn
Sidney Gordon

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Writers: Jack Rubin, Sydney Boehm, Frank J. Wilson
Languages: Italian, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

77 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis, shot by Burnett Guffey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Al Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Glenn Ford and Nina Foch and James Whitmore carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "TOLD WITH THE SNARL OF A MACHINE GUN!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0042006 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joseph H. Lewis directs. Burnett Guffey behind the camera. Al Clark cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Italian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
277 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.
4Directed by Joseph H. Lewis, shot by Burnett Guffey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Al Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Glenn Ford and Nina Foch and James Whitmore carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "TOLD WITH THE SNARL OF A MACHINE GUN!".
8IMDB entry: tt0042006 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 43 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 15 themes, including "undercover agent", "gangster", "search for witnesses", "film noir".