The Tall Target
The Tall Target

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- 72/100 based on 2,218 votes

The historical fact of a possible assassination attempt on the President-Elect Abraham Lincoln makes the movie very interesting. The drama comes from a fictitious New York police sergeant discovering the plot and boarding the last train to Washington, DC, to protect the new president to be. Dick Powell does a very good job using deduction and logic to find who on the train could be conspirators. He is foiled at different times but manages to succeed even when the conspirators... (Full plot summary below)

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Actors in The Tall Target:

Dick Powell
Paula Raymond
Adolphe Menjou
Marshall Thompson
Ruby Dee
Richard Rober

Full Plot Details

The historical fact of a possible assassination attempt on the President-Elect Abraham Lincoln makes the movie very interesting. The drama comes from a fictitious New York police sergeant discovering the plot and boarding the last train to Washington, DC, to protect the new president to be. Dick Powell does a very good job using deduction and logic to find who on the train could be conspirators. He is foiled at different times but manages to succeed even when the conspirators have caught him. The movie's action takes place mostly on the train and the effects of travelling are well done. Historically, several states have already seceded from the union and that included Virginia. That's why Lincoln had to travel to Washington, DC, through Maryland, also a slave state. When he was taking his own "Inaugural Train" the plan was to kill Lincoln in Baltimore during a long stop but Lincoln's supporters did some slight of hand to sneak him on board the last train to the capital. Maybe not Oscar material but a very enjoyable piece of entertainment.

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Movie Reviews

Slant Magazine - 10/10 by Fernando F. CroceAs in Reign of Terror, Anthony Mann fashions a noir mini-masterpiece out of incongruous period reconstruction.
Ozus' World Movie Reviews - 9/10 by Dennis SchwartzMann's strong direction keeps things taut, fast-paced, very well-detailed and nail-biting.
Seanax.com - 8/10 by Sean Axmaker... a film full of dynamic images and marvelous grace notes.
User Review - 8/10 by sabrina iMonday, July 11, 2011 (1951) The Tall Target MYSTERY/ SUSPENSE/ THRILLER "based on a true story: the attempted assassination of President-elect Abraham Lincoln, even before he was able to assume his duties in Washington"RT A movie starring Dick Powell who was a memorable character in the 'film noir' film "Murder, My Sweet" did another memorable character here which the two characters are almost identical and is based on a true story! Although directed by Anthony Mann whose well known for his crime and adult Western films, this film does have a Alfred Hitchcock sort of feel to it with a satisfying conclusion! Most memorable line is when the African American associate says "I thought 'freedom' shouldn't be something we're entitled but something we were born with"! Strong 3 out of 4
User Review - 8/10 by Eric S[font=Century Gothic]In "The Tall Target," Detective Sergeant John Kennedy(Dick Powell) is convinced there will be an attempt on the life of President-Elect Abraham Lincoln when he speaks in Baltimore on the way to the inauguration but nobody will believe him. So, he telegraphs Lincoln in Harrisburg in the hope of diverting and warning him. Once on the Night Flyer Express to Baltimore, he finds his valise but not his friend who has his ticket and later finds him murdered. On returning to his seat, Kennedy finds a man(Leif Erickson) who claims to be him, leaving the real John Kennedy to get Colonel Jeffers(Adolphe Menjou) to vouch for him.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Tall Target" is an entertaining thrill ride of a movie full of twists with a superb performance by Ruby Dee. It is a speculation inspired by real events that nails the history and geography which helps in building suspense as the train gets closer to its date with destiny. Speaking of history, the characters are ordinary people swept up in extraordinary events, each with a separate point of view on Lincoln's election. For most of them, it is just talk but there are people who are vile enough to resort to violence. Kennedy is the only one with a personal connection to Lincoln, being inspired to risk everything on his behalf.[/font]
User Review - 8/10 by William CExcellent thriller set almost entirely on a train -- about an agent foiling the plot of assassins trying to get to Abraham Lincoln on his way to Washington and his inauguration in 1861.
User Review - 8/10 by Miguel AVery taut and suspenseful thriller from director Anthony Mann and starring one of my favorites, Dick Powell, as a police detective intent on foiling an assassination plot against president-elect Abraham Lincoln. The entire film takes place on a train en route from New York to Washington and then to further points south. The talk among passengers (headed south) is virulently anti-Lincoln. Powell is on the wrong side of politics in supporting "the tall target" and his superiors won't back his investigation. So, he goes it alone, tangling with both the plotters and the police who get in his way. Ruby Dee has a good role has a slave who helps Powell (and the film does not shy away from condemning slavery). Apparently, the film is historically accurate (more or less), as Lincoln really did have to "sneak" into Washington for his inauguration. Who knew?
User Review - 6/10 by Greg Wanother example of 50's dramas from the studios, full of action, whiskey, and saucy characters
User Review - 6/10 by Michael HThe 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. 
User Review - 6/10 by Gregory Wgood stuff descent period piece and I am interested to see how the new movie , the conspirator stack up against this one.

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