MoPoshy
Absolutely brilliant
Doomtomylo
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Anoushka Slater
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
ksf-2
One of the first films M. Rooney did after all his andy hardy films. Co-stars Jeanne Cagney (james' sister!) and Barbara Bates. Rooney would make "All Ashore" with Bates a couple years later. Dan (Rooney) borrows money from the company till and it all goes downhill from there. and of course, keep an eye out for the talented but odd Peter Lorre (Nick). He has some weird relationship with Dan's girl Vera, and it just gets more awkward from there. Rooney narrates his own story, and it's a pretty sad tale. Seems to have been financed by Rooney and Lorre. It's just okay. Could have been so much better, but it looks like Rooney did the whole deal himself. I guess it's interesting for historical value, since it has Rooney, Lorre, and a couple others. Directed by Irving Pichel... one of the last things he did. only made a couple more after this. Currently showing on Midnight Movie channel. meh.
seymourblack-1
This low budget thriller is a cautionary tale and a marvellous example of pure film noir. The predicament of an ordinary guy who makes a bad decision which propels him into a nightmare sequence of events, provides the basis for numerous noir stories and in typical fashion, "Quicksand" delivers a fast moving drama which is consistently compelling to watch and full of twists. Other familiar noir components include a gullible protagonist, a femme fatale, a good natured woman who's taken for granted, expressionistic lighting and an ambiance which becomes progressively darker as each new development produces dangers which are regularly more serious than he ones which preceded them.Dan Brady (Mickey Rooney) is a garage mechanic who having made a date with a waitress at the local diner desperately needs $20 to take her out. As he has no cash and no-one who can give him a loan until payday, he takes the money he needs from the garage till, fully confident that he'll be able to replace it before the bookkeeper carries out his regular check of the business' funds in a few days time.Dan finds himself in a tight spot when the bookkeeper arrives a couple of days early but neatly manages to cope with the situation by purchasing an expensive watch on credit and then pawning it straight away to get the cash he needs. His scheme is successful but a little while later, a detective visits him and explains that he's breached the terms of the credit agreement and that unless he can produce the full value of the watch within 24 hours he'll be arrested and charged with grand larceny. In order to deal with this problem and the complications that follow, Dan soon finds himself locked into a position where he continually has to commit crimes of ever increasing seriousness just to avoid having to pay the penalties for what he's previously done. Dan's crimes then escalate from mugging to robbery and strangling his boss before he finally goes on the run to Mexico.One of the most ironic aspects of the story is that Dan gets into more serious trouble than some of the other characters who are infinitely more evil and immoral than him. The girl from the diner is Vera Novak (Jeanne Cagney). She proves to be manipulative, acquisitive and completely untrustworthy. Dan is so naive that when she takes him to see an expensive fur coat and her ex-lover on their first date, no alarm bells seem to ring in his head. Later, she encourages him to carry out a robbery and then, without his agreement, spends half of the proceeds to buy the fur coat.Vera's ex-lover is arcade owner Nick Dramoshag (Peter Lorre) who is totally unscrupulous and blackmails Dan because he has evidence which could be used to convict him for one of his crimes. Dan's boss Oren Mackey (Art Smith) is a amoral miser who's also duplicitous and at one stage even pulls a gun on Dan and threatens to report him to the police. The only person who's consistently decent and loyal to him is his original girlfriend Helen (Barbara Bates) who he rewards, most of the time, by treating her with a complete lack of affection or respect!Mickey Rooney shows convincingly that he's just as comfortable and effective in this kind of role as he is with his more familiar parts in comedies and musicals and the supporting cast, especially the wonderfully sleazy Peter Lorre are also excellent.
wes-connors
Garage mechanic Mickey Rooney (as Dan Brady) wants to date blonde cashier Jeanne Cagney (as Vera Novak) after seeing her arrive for work in a sexy black dress. Since one of his friends owes him $20, Mr. Rooney decides to "borrow" it from the cash register at work. No one will know. After brushing off former girlfriend Barbara Bates (as Helen), Rooney takes Ms. Cagney out on borrowed money. Today, taking a date to the Santa Monica Pier is not that costly... Of course, Rooney's plan to replace the money fails, and he gets deeper and deeper in "Quicksand". The appearance of Peter Lorre (as Nick) means more trouble for Rooney. This is a fair to middling story, depending on how far you can stretch your suspension of disbelief. It moralizes about "robbing Peter to pay Paul." Funny, if you're in the mood.**** Quicksand (3/24/50) Irving Pichel ~ Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Barbara Bates, Peter Lorre
rpvanderlinden
In "Quicksand" grease monkey Mickey Rooney picks up tramp Jeanne Cagney who's wearing this sexy black cocktail dress for her shift at the diner. Nice Girl Barbara Bates is pining for the grease monkey, named Dan, who's giving her the runaround. Dan steals 20 bucks from his employer to give the tramp a good time. One thing leads to another, and after a series of contrived events Dan is up to his eyeballs in trouble and running from a murder rap. Fast forward to the film's climax and Nice Girl, who's probably never seen the inside of a police station and is obviously willing to be a doormat for this doofus, seems all too eager to get her hot little fingers on Dan's hot little gun and go on the lam with him. I won't reveal the outcome, but it's a groaner. Dan is a cad, plain and simple, and in my opinion, is the author of his own misfortune. He doesn't seem to have any moral underpinnings or guts, and is quite prepared to roll a drunk for his wallet if it serves his selfish needs. But the film doesn't see it that way and wants us to root for him as an everyman who's caught up in events beyond his control. That's because the film is intended as a cautionary tale ("crime doesn't pay") which manufactures events and plot points which have nothing to do with character or logic. Well, I didn't buy it. If the film-makers are asking me to root for the hero they'd better make the hero worth rooting for - make him fret about his actions and choices. I'm not sure that it's Rooney's fault. He manages to take all that high energy, fast-talking charm and guile he displayed in his comedies to a darker place. The location settings are run-down and picturesque, and had there been a convincing story and some weight to the characters this might have been a decent little noir.
