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The Tall Target

Play trailer Poster for The Tall Target 1951 1h 18m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Abraham Lincoln will be traveling by rail to his inauguration in Washington and a plot is being hatched to assassinate him as he passes through Baltimore. New York detective John Kennedy (Dick Powell) tries to alert his superiors to the scheme, but his suspicions are dismissed. He decides to quit the force and boards the train to try to thwart the assassins himself. He's unsure of whom he can trust but finds a potential ally in Ginny Beaufort (Paula Raymond), the sister of one of the plotters.

Critics Reviews

View All (7) Critics Reviews
Richard Brody The New Yorker Director Anthony Mann fleshes out the intricate story with vigorous and subtle attention to its disparate elements-political, psychological, and brutal. Jan 27, 2020 Full Review Fernando F. Croce Slant Magazine As in Reign of Terror, Anthony Mann fashions a noir mini-masterpiece out of incongruous period reconstruction. Rated: 4/4 Jun 8, 2006 Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Filmmaker Anthony Mann--who redefined the Western two years later with The Naked Spur--treats The Tall Target like the noir it is while capturing a political atmosphere on the edge in 1861. Rated: 4/5 Feb 13, 2025 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy The train setting is imaginatively employed by director Anthony Mann. Rated: 3/4 Jan 28, 2025 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand ... a film full of dynamic images and marvelous grace notes. Dec 6, 2009 Full Review Gabe Leibowitz Film and Felt For all its social relevance, The Tall Target is first and foremost a 50's drama, full of action, whiskey, and saucy characters. Rated: 76/100 Feb 14, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve D Clever thriller with strong historical ties. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/23/23 Full Review Audience Member An excellent film based on the alleged plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on the way, via train, to his inauguration. Director Anthony Mann is often overlooked as one of Hollywood's great directors. Watch this film to see why he truly is. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent presentation of a noir thriller based on a true story. Impressive cast, plot twists and camera work with amazing parallels to current times. Fine performance by Ruby Dee, illustrating how Hollywood failed to utilize her talent over the years. Strongly recommend!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member The understated performances by the ensemble cast is nicely achieved; Mann's strong direction keeps things taut, fast-paced, very well-detailed and nail-biting; and one also gets a good feel for that unstable time period in American history.  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member I was never much of a Dick Powell fan, but I'm a huge fan of director Anthony Mann, which was enough to get me to watch this pre-Civil War bit of spies and intrigue. Mann brings his usual tight direction and solid suspense to this story of southerners plotting to assassinate president Abraham Lincoln the day of his inauguration. Most of the film takes plan on a train, Agatha Christie-style, and Mann exploits that device for it's claustrophobic best. And one interesting item of note, Powell's character is named John Kennedy, this film having been made years before JFK became president and the many other parallels beaten Kennedy and Lincoln were ever looked at. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review s r A great suspenseful noir. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Tall Target

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Cast & Crew

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Anthony Mann

Director

Dick Powell

John Kennedy

Paula Raymond

Ginny Beaufort

Adolphe Menjou

Colonel Caleb Jeffers

Marshall Thompson

Lance Beaufort

Ruby Dee

Rachel

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The Tall Target

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Movie Info

Synopsis Abraham Lincoln will be traveling by rail to his inauguration in Washington and a plot is being hatched to assassinate him as he passes through Baltimore. New York detective John Kennedy (Dick Powell) tries to alert his superiors to the scheme, but his suspicions are dismissed. He decides to quit the force and boards the train to try to thwart the assassins himself. He's unsure of whom he can trust but finds a potential ally in Ginny Beaufort (Paula Raymond), the sister of one of the plotters.
Director
Anthony Mann
Producer
Richard Goldstone
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 18m