Marked Men
Marked Men
| 30 September 1940 (USA)
Marked Men Trailers

A man accused of planning a prison break turns the tables on escaped cons by leading the group into the desert.

Reviews
Scanialara You won't be disappointed!
Diagonaldi Very well executed
Palaest recommended
Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Leofwine_draca MARKED MEN is a B-movie thriller with an unknown cast and brief running time. The setting is the desert, where an escaped convict hides out while being pursued by the authorities. The story develops when another, more murderous convict turns up at the scene with his old gang, and there's unfinished business between the two men. All of this material is ordinary and predictable, but where MARKED MEN works is in the presentation of a loyal and heroic German Shepherd called Wolf who saves the day time and again. He's one of the most adorable screen dogs I've seen in a while.
horsegoggles There are several things that endear this film to me. It's a fun little movie that packs a lot of plot into slightly over an hour. First there's a dog, a smart dog, and then another cute little dog who becomes his bud, and neither one gets killed. Second Wolves in Tempe, we've got Coyotes in the hills, but Wolves? Third, filmed on location in Tempe, AZ in the 40's. I don't remember one outdoor scene that appeared to be filmed in a studio setting. Well maybe some desert backdrops, but no phony desert shots. Fourth, good guy is vindicated, bad guys loose out in the end. Fifth, a simplistic story of right's triumph over wrong, with lots of opening gunfire. Sixth, A town full of people who don't hesitate to turn on a hero at a perceived indiscretion, you gotta love that. I always get a kick out the portrayal of survival in the desert in movies, especially older films. Laying down on the desert floor on a blistering day isn't much different than laying down on that proverbial sidewalk that folks fry eggs on. A small canteen of water is good for a couple hours when it's 115 and you don't have shade, at least for me.
David (Handlinghandel) The dog plays an important role. He has a handsome face, not a great build. The thing is: He isn't even listed in the credits.The film itself is a modest Western being passed off as a film noir. OK: It starts with a prison break. A guy hides out. But he hides out in Tempe, Arizona. I felt this to be a Western.It isn't bad. It isn't memorable either. Isabel Jewell plays the sympathetic woman who meets the escapee. Enough of the plot. No spoilers here.The acting is pretty basic. I didn't see a good print but I didn't have the sense I was missing out on great cinematography.It's your call, really. And the dog, who is called Wolf, is appealing.
Portable_universe This movie is in the public domain. A friend of mine downloaded it as "Desert Escape" and gave it, along with a batch of other public domain movies, to me as a gift. Whenever the weather is poor and I'm home I pull one out. I've been pleasantly surprised to find some interesting movies and big stars. This movie doesn't have any big stars -- at least not any I recognize -- but it has an interesting setting: Tempe, Arizona, and the surrounding desert, in modern times (1940 -- although the movie appears to have been made a little before that-- it has a late 30's feel). So many old movies are set in New York (to take advantage of sets already built?) that my interest is always piqued by an unusual setting. The story revolves around Bill Carver, who was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit -- or did he? What makes this movie worth watching is his interaction with Wolf the dog, the old-fashioned sentiments expressed by the main characters, and a scene at a picnic that appeared to use local residents as extras. Will you be riveted by the story? Maybe not. It's a fairly standard crime drama brought home, but I thought it was above average in execution and the dog (a Rin-Tin-Tin-ish shepherd) adds greatly to the story.