Movie Review: Follow Me Quietly (1949)

Synopsis: After spending months trying to catch a serial killer calling himself "the Judge," Lt. Harry Grant is frustrated to the point he is thinking about quitting. To make matters worse, a persistent reporter, Ann Gorman, is following him around, looking for an inside scoop. Even Grant's brilliant idea to create a life-like mannequin replica of the Judge fails to prevent an eighth murder. However, with Ann's help, Grant is able to use a clue left behind at a crime scene to breathe new life into the case.

Who's in it? The movie stars William Lundigan, Dorothy Patrick, Jeff Corey, Nestor Paiva and Edwin Max.

Review: I had another movie picked out for this morning, but it must have disappeared from my library last night because I couldn't find it. Not wanting to spend too much time looking for it again, I opted to watch Follow Me Quietly instead. This, as it turns out, ended up being a great choice.

Since the movie was only an hour in length, I was a bit concerned it would be a film that would ruin a good premise simply because it would be forced to rush the story. That wasn't the case though. The film, despite having a short runtime, managed to execute the story just fine.

I liked how the film focused a bit less on the Judge and more on the guy who was chasing him, Harry (Lundigan). As the murders piled up, it was easy to see his frustration with both the lack of progress he was making and the pressure from his superiors. And I have to admit, his mannequin idea was a stroke of genius. It may not have prevented another murder and even let the Judge listen in on a conversation, but it was instrumental later in the film.

I wasn't sure what to think about Ann (Patrick) at first. It was clear she was going to be Harry's love interest by the end of the movie, especially after a sexually charged (at least for the era) scene in his apartment but I wasn't sure if she was going to bring much else. Her involvement in the case later in the film, including providing a key piece of information, did justify her, even though her role was limited after that.

The movie's killer (Max) was also intriguing. While there was evidence to support him being cool and calculating (such as when he snuck into the police department and posed as the mannequin), the mental illness associated with rain was the most fascinating part. It made me wonder what sort of trauma would cause him to snap like that at the sound of raindrops.

I did get a little bit of a kick out of how disorganized the investigation seemed at times, with the police trampling all over the final crime scene and Harry letting Ann inside it as well. Plus, after multiple people handled the key piece of evidence, covering it with their fingerprints, I'm not so sure it would have still been allowed at trial.

I also thought, for a movie that was only an hour long, that final chase scene seemed to go on forever. It wasn't a big deal, but it could have been shortened a bit and that time could have been used elsewhere, perhaps showing exactly when Harry began to fall for Ann romantically (something that seemed to just happen without a whole lot of logic other than they are the main characters).

Final Opinion: It wasn't a perfect film, but it makes the most of the limited amount of screentime and puts together a good story. It's worth taking the time to watch if you have an hour.

My Grade: B+

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