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The Threat

Play trailer Poster for The Threat 1949 1h 6m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Murderer Arnold "Red" Kluger (Charles McGraw) has a score to settle: He promised revenge on the people who put him there when he was convicted. Red searches for and kidnaps the chief detective (Michael O'Shea) and District Attorney MacDonald, dragging both of them to a remote desert location in California. While he is holding the pair hostage, he has a special fate in mind for a beautiful nightclub singer (Virginia Grey) who, he believes, ratted him out.

Critics Reviews

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Sean Axmaker Parallax View 10/22/2011
... opens with a rat-a-tat energy, quite literally: a prison break, a whining siren, and then the almost unbroken blasts of machine gun fire... Go to Full Review John Beifuss Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) 09/16/2011
3/4
'Kluger's out!' -- Those are the first words spoken, and they convey a sense of urgency that is pretty much sustained throughout the economical 66-minute running time of this taut deadline thriller Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 04/28/2003
B
Plenty of tough action. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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deke p 02/07/2020 Interesting. 1949. Suspenseful. And mentioned Firestone at Alameda, etc, and lots of local Calif locations, from Riverside to Banning to Barstow, Victorville, Palm Springs, etc. Newer heard of til saw on broadcast tv TheMovieChannel, 2.6.20 See more 11/11/2018 Has some violent scenes for 1949 . Homicidal criminal Charles McGraw does a good job acting . Not the best film noir . But at a run time of 66 min. It is worth a watch . See more 07/05/2013 Solid B picture about escaped convict Charles McGraw going all "Cape Fear" on the people he feels are responsible for putting him away. It's a tight little story and McGraw is terrific as the snarling and scary villain. Well worth watching for classic crime/suspense film fans. See more 06/26/2013 ... opens with a rat-a-tat energy, quite literally: a prison break, a whining siren, and then the almost unbroken blasts of machine gun fire... See more 10/11/2011 A good example of a jail escape and a hostage films. The story is set up nicely, the actors play their parts well (Charles McGraw was especially charismatic) and the ending is satisfying. Though, some of the actors aren't that great - Michae O'Shea didn't leave much of an impression, honestly speaking - and some of the plot twists are a bit stupid and predictable. But, it's enjoyable to watch, so I guess in the end that's all that matters. See more 01/20/2011 Yle Teeman Film-noir-sarjan viimeinen leffa. Tata television ohjelmapaikkaa tulee ikava See more Read all reviews
The Threat

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Cast & Crew

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Felix E. Feist

Director

Michael O'Shea

Detective Ray Williams

Virginia Grey

Carol

Charles McGraw

Arnold `'Red'` Kluger
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The Threat

The Threat (1949) The Threat (1949) The Threat (1949) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Murderer Arnold "Red" Kluger (Charles McGraw) has a score to settle: He promised revenge on the people who put him there when he was convicted. Red searches for and kidnaps the chief detective (Michael O'Shea) and District Attorney MacDonald, dragging both of them to a remote desert location in California. While he is holding the pair hostage, he has a special fate in mind for a beautiful nightclub singer (Virginia Grey) who, he believes, ratted him out.
Director
Felix E. Feist
Production Co
RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 6m