Lorna, the blind daughter of a millionaire, is kidnapped by a ruthless man, Joe Beacon, who intents on holding her for ransom. The actual abduction of Lorna is witnessed by Joyce, a secretary for the millionaire, who supplies some details which help the cops and transit authorities start their investigation into the kidnapping. Rudolph Mate's Union Station is a fast-paced, exciting film with interesting themes of police sentimentality and pessimism which help make up for a rather derivative kidnapping plot. The film wastes no time getting started, throwing the viewer right into the cat and mouse game which the cops and criminals inhabit. What is really interesting about Union Station is the flat-out pessimism which almost all of the cops have towards the safety of Lorna. There is a sense that these men have seen so many awful things in this world that even though they work mercilessly, they deep down believe that Lorna is already dead. This feeds into the commentary on the lack of sentimentality in which detectives and officers of the law have. These men have no time to be sentimental and many characters, particularly William Holden's William Calhoun wear this burden on their sleeve. Reinforcing all of this is Joe Beacon, the absolutely ruthless main villain who has no allegiances, only interested in the considerable wealth he can exchange for Lorna. Featuring lots of good' ole fashioned police work. from a brutal interrogation sequence to the small details, Union Station is a strong, interesting crime story that is definitely worth watching. 8/10
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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