William Holden and Nancy Olson, fresh off from their appearances in Billy Wilder’s 1950 Sunset Boulevard, reunited for this classic film noir.
Nancy Olson, returning to the city from her wealthy employer’s residence, spots two armed men on the train. She reports them to the conductor, who radios in to the station’s police.
Once at Union Station she points out the men to William Holden, head of the station’s police squad. They soon learn that the gunmen are members of a gang who have kidnapped Olson’s employer’s blind daughter, seeking a $100,000 ransom.
The Chicago police, headed by Barry Fitzgerald, and the FBI are both called in for help.
The action in this film noir culminates in a famous, well shot scene of a lengthy chase through the station’s underground tunnels.
Credits
Paramount
Director: Rudolph Maté
Screenplay: Sydney Boehm, from the story by Thomas Walsh
Producer: Jules Schermer
B&W
Running time: 81 min.