The Tall Target

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The Tall Target

1951

1h 18m

Mystery & Thriller

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100%

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7 Reviews

66%

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.

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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

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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

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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

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The train setting is imaginatively employed by director Anthony Mann.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 28, 2025

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Sean Axmaker

Seanax.com

... a film full of dynamic images and marvelous grace notes.

Dec 6, 2009

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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

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Steve D

Clever thriller with strong historical ties.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/23/23

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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

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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

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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.Â

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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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

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s r

A great suspenseful noir.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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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

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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

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