Better Late Then Never

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

In 1861, New York Police Sergeant John Kennedy (Dick Powell) finds a plan to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. His chief Superintendent Simon G. Stroud does not believe in his report and Kennedy resigns to hunt the conspirators alone. He informs to Stroud that he had sent his report to the Secretary of War and requests a meeting with Lincoln in Baltimore. He boards the train to Baltimore and does not find his friend Inspector Reilly with his train ticket that was waiting for him, but finds his wallet. Kennedy seeks out Reilly and finds body on a platform; however the corpse falls off the train. When he returns to his seat, there is an impostor posing to be Kennedy but he brings the conductor to the cabin of his acquaintance Colonel Caleb Jeffers that confirms his identity. Kennedy looks for a gun to arrest the impostor but the criminal subdues him with his gun. They leave the train at the next stop but Kennedy fight with the impostor and Colonel Jeffers shoots and kills the man. Kennedy returns to the train and soon he discovers several conspirators in the train. Will he be capable to save Abraham Lincoln?"The Tall Target" is a fictitious story about a claimed conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Fictitious story of celebrities may be attractive to fans but better off the use of fictitious characters. The screenplay is intriguing and is a suspenseful especially when John Kennedy finds the web of conspirators in the train. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "Conspiração" ("Conspiracy")

This is my first submittal to this site. As someone who enjoys old movies, being 54 I have seen thousands in my lifetime, I was delighted to see this film for the first time this morning, in Switzerland of all places. The talented actors with their dramatic portrayal of a true story makes this my favorite Abraham Lincoln assassination plot movie. Though obviously a mid-budget film, the sets and acting were superb for this screenplay. Dick Powell (as John Kennedy), Adolphe Menjou, Will Geer, a young Ruby Dee, Paula Raymond and Marshall Thompson were cast well in their respective roles. It was refreshing to see a movie released in 1951 dealing with the subject of slavery and freedom with the fine black actress, Ruby Dee, being given such a prominent role in the film. All around this is a delight to watch, especially for those who, like me, are history and old movie buffs. The film does need some restoration work but I would change little else in this fine film.

Having collected an off-air recording of this film I now make sure to watch it at least once per year. Why? It's almost perfect.A New York police detective stumbles upon a plot to kill President elect Abraham Lincoln en route to Washington for his inauguration. The plotters plan for multiple gunmen to assassinate Abe whilst he is speechifying in Baltimore.Having failed to convince his superiors that the plot is real, the cop hands in his badge and takes "The Flyer" - an overnight train from New York to Baltimore. The bulk of the film concerns his efforts to find out more details of the plot, and figure out which of his fellow passengers are part of it. Having done so, he must stop them from bumping him off or getting him locked up until it's all over. It's a great plot, extrapolated to some unknown degree, from real events.For me, the film has a quality that should put it right up there with other film noir classics such as "The Big Sleep". You actually feel the cop's physical desperation that he must stop the conspirators, and you feel their fanaticism to succeed. Dick Powell as the cop (Ironically called John Kennedy) carries the film superbly. Will Geer (he eventually played the Grandfather in "The Waltons") is completely believable as the harassed train conductor. The more minor characters (such as the driver/engineer and some of the non-principal passengers) are given depth and motivation to a degree that is quite unusual.The settings feel like a train, rather than a set being rocked gently by a set of burly teamsters. The external train shots are mostly real, not the usual laughable model shots you get in many train films of this vintage. In fact, overall, the technical competence of the whole production is top notch. The photography, lighting, sound, visual effects and sets are of a very high calibre indeed.Even if you are not usually given to watching movies as old as this one, I urge you to track this one down - it's well worthwhile.Alan T.

"The Tall Target," about a plot to kill Lincoln before his inauguration, is a compact little film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Dick Powell, Adolphe Menjou, Marshall Thompson, and Ruby Dee. Powell plays John Kennedy, a detective and admirer of the future President who finds out about an assassination plot and hopes to stop it, although his written report seems to fall on blind eyes. On board a train, Kennedy finds the person he was to meet is dead, someone is impersonating him, and, from all the political talk, there are lots of suspects who hate Lincoln as the country gets ready for war.Most of the action takes place on the train and the atmosphere and black and white cinematography neatly capture the period. The performances are all excellent, including that of Will Geer as the train conductor and Ruby Dee as a young slave whose mistress' brother (Thompson) is a prime suspect in the assassination plot. Twenty years earlier, Dick Powell was a boy tenor playing male ingénues opposite Ruby Keeler; in the '40s, he turned to tough detective type roles, and ultimately became a highly successful producer. He's very good in "The Tall Target" but a little too modern in manner and dialogue delivery. It's somewhat noticeable because the period is captured very well by the other actors.This is a very good movie with a neat ending and based on a true incident. There was, by the way, a John Kennedy who was a former law enforcement officer who served in the Lincoln administration. Whether he was involved in this situation, I don't know. It's a wonderful story nonetheless.