The FBI Story (1959)

Dang - this film, and The Cheyenne Social Club would have been perfect for my 2015 tribute to James Stewart! 

Synopsis: Good old Jimmy Stewart attempts to humanize an unaccountable, and sometimes-dangerous organ of the Deep State. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “35 years of crimebusting with G-man James Stewart!” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) If a communist spy leaves his apartment on a Sunday morning, you can be pretty sure he’s not going to church! 2) Craftiness can solve many a criminal case, but with hoodlums you sometimes need a good conscientious, hard-working machine gun.

You Might Like This Movie If: You're in the mood to hear some questionable stories from the FBI. 

Really?: 1) I’m curious - why in the world would Mario get up and yell “Hey Amigos” at the oncoming soldiers? Any sensible person would keep his head down, his mouth shut, and get the fuck out of Dodge. 2) So, Lucy wants Chip to leave the Bureau….and then she doesn’t… and then she does again… and then she leaves Chip because she can’t stand worrying about his safety, but she later returns to him, problem unresolved. And then we’re treated to the same melodramatic anguish when her son enlists in the Marines. Oh, the melodrama!! 3) Speaking of which, was it really necessary to blast the Marine Corps hymn not once, not twice, but three times? 4) Oh wow…even in 1959, this film defends the internment of Japanese Americans (and some German ex pats), even though nearly all of them were law-abiding citizens. 

Rating: Stewart does his best to carry this picture, but The FBI Story is essentially propaganda with a capital P - it even features a cameo appearance from the real J. Edgar Hoover! Bias aside, The FBI Story is also far too long and weighted down by a lot of pointless and repetitive scenes involving Chip’s family and some absolutely terrible dialogue. Still, the actual case work vignettes are quite compelling, so it does have some redeeming features. 5.5/10 stars. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052792/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1