The Big Steal is one of one of those delightful little film noir movies where everybody is chasing everyone else and it isn't clear why until the plot unfolds. It doesn't really matter why, either. What's important is the chase itself and how the characters conduct it. And they're pretty innovative at times.

The movie stars film noir great Robert Mitchum. He's chasing Patric Knowles and is being chased by William Bendix. Jane Greer is chasing Knowles too, and she and Mitchum form an uneasy partnership, forced by circumstance, along the way. Not nearly as sinister or morally murky as the usual noir, this film is nevertheless fun and exciting to watch.