Quicksand (1950)
1h 19m | PG-13
Young auto mechanic Dan Brady takes $20 from a cash register at work to go on a date with blonde femme fatale Vera Novak. Brady intends to put the money back before it is missed, but the garage's bookkeeper shows up earlier than scheduled. As Brady scrambles to cover evidence of his petty theft, he fast finds himself drawn into an ever worsening "quicksand" of crime.
Director: Irving Pichel
Studio: Samuel H. Stiefel Productions
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Video: 720p
Cast
Mickey Rooney
as Daniel 'Dan' Brady
Jeanne Cagney
as Vera Novak
Barbara Bates
as Helen Calder
Peter Lorre
as Nick Dramoshag
Taylor Holmes
as Harvey
Art Smith
as Oren Mackey
Reviews
Mickey Rooney is rather convincing as a naive young mechanic who pinches $20 from his employer so he can impress his gold-digging girlfriend on a date. Soon, though, the debt spirals out of control as he falls foul of the authorities, his employer and a particularly odious Peter Lorre ("Nick") and is soon being chased by the police for murder. It's been done on a shoestring, but the ending is exciting, if a little cheesy and contrived. The characters are interesting and well hung together and make for an above average quality thriller.