T-Men (1947)

Finally, I know what I want to be when I grow up. After several years of hoping to be a Ghostbuster or even a lawyer, the knowledge of how I best can use my abilities can be clear. I can become a T-Man. What is a T-Man you may ask, well it is an agent in one of the six fingered mutant known as the Treasury Department, and from this classic noir film, it is obvious - that we hide in shadows, rough up guys, take Turkish baths, and go behind the scenes in the rough-and-tumbles of the US of A. We are the people bad guys fear most - we are ... dum da da ... T-Men! If you haven't guessed by now, I just finished watching this 40s classic that should never be forgotten. From the classic lines, to the strong characters, to the "I liked the part when..." moments that seemed to creep up on you like one of these T-Men at night. The film, T-Men, the premise is to understand how the Treasure Department uses these agents to stop counterfeiters from gaining the upper hand. Stand aside Donnie Brasco, be quiet Goodfellas - you ain't got nothin' on the T-Men.

This was an impressive movie from the beginning with its use of semi-documentary style, this was a bold new way to give us the excitement, tension, and toughness of these T-Men. It was like the voice of God showering from above, keeping this otherwise dry film on a concurrent course. The now infamous lines about taking Turkish baths for 10 days to find a man seemed more apt today, and the scene in which our undercover agent uses the whisky glass to gain an upper-cut on a villain was more than classic - it is a move that needs to be used more often in bar fights. There were also other elements that made this film stand above others - the nature of some of the deaths, the fact that some of our protagonists died, the fact that the way they died was more than exciting (anyone who says they saw the Turkish bath death coming is surely lying), and that final scene on the boat where we don't know which direction is up is a pure definition of this genre. From beginning to end, T-Men proved the test of time - proved that it could survive the decay of late-night TMC showings, and really be a cult-esque film for the midnight theaters. T-Men was unintentionally funny, or perhaps intentionally funny just to demonstrate its power to be a semi-action film. Whatever it was, it worked. I laughed, I jumped out of the way, I nervously paced the background just to see if our undercover man would get the rewards of his job ... and in the processes learned a bit more about the C.S.I. of the Treasury Department.

Found in my "Videohound 2005" book and is nearly the finale of the "T" listings. I have one more drama to go, and I don't think anything can take down what I witnessed here. The film was quick, intelligent, and action packed - exactly the feeling I want from a summer blockbuster - well - without being a summer blockbuster.

I am giving it a green mark with blue stars. I will watch this film again - I will be a T-Man for Halloween, and I cannot wait to tour the Treasury Department - I gotta see what the inside of MI-5... ahm ... I mean Treasure Dept looks like. I cannot wait to watch this film again. Impressive.