"The Tall Target" isn't a great noir, if it even is a noir, but it's a unique one in that it's one of the few I can think of that isn't set in contemporary times. Set instead in 1860s United States, it tells the story of an NY detective (Dick Powell) who has information that will help him thwart an assassination attempt on incoming president Abraham Lincoln. The majority of the action is set on a train carrying Powell and Lincoln's would-be assassin to an inaugural address. Anthony Mann provides uncharacteristically sluggish direction, and Powell is never quite convincing as a 19th century police officer. But the historical setting gives the film the opportunity to address racial issues of 1951 (the year of the film's release) in context of slavery of the 1860s, even if those issues are treated as a bit of an aside to the main action. The film's murder mystery-ish train setting evokes something by Agatha Christie as well as earlier films -- Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" comes immediately to mind, though this film is nowhere nearly as fun -- and satisfies the viewer looking for something cozy to pop in on a rainy day.
Grade: B
Grade: B