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• tension

  • kevin sellers
  • 7/18/15

  Should be retitled "Somewhat Tense," since that is the mood it conveys. I'm beginning to come around to Red Rain's opinion that Richard Baseheart is a hole in the screen. And, to answer his question about Audrey Totter, "Yes." In "The Set Up" she played boxer Robert Ryan's loving, worried, caring wife. And she did it without undue sentimentality. Proof that she's a versatile actress. She's the best thing about "Tension," which gets a C. P.S. If this film had been made ten years later then Barry Sullivan and William Conrad would have starred together in a TV series spinoff.

• Nice drama...

  • RedRain
  • 3/8/13

  Very taut, well-written film. Audrey Totter plays her usual bad-girl (Did she ever play a good girl?) self here. I particularly liked Barry Sullivan in this film. He should be listed as the male lead, not Basehart, as the film truly involves him in nearly every scene. Basehart is simply Basehart, not good or bad in this film. I loved seeing William Conrad here. As always, he is a cop and, if you can recall "Cannon" or "Jake and the Fat Man" on television or, alternatively, the voice of Matt Dillon on the radio version of "Gunsmoke," then you recognize him and his voice in every film. And, if like me you enjoyed "Rocky and Bullwinkle," you should recognize his voice as the narrator of that great series. He was a wonderful actor and it was a joy to see him in this film.

• Film Grey

  • Emgee
  • 12/22/10

  This movie comes close to being a film noir parody, even though it was meant to be taken seriously. The characters are all overdone and unconvincing, the plot is contrived and the tone is all wrong for a crime story. The actors are good, but their roles are onedimensional.MGM rarely made a good film noir; their production style and moral values just didn't fit the rawness and grittiness a good crime movie needs. Worth a look, but won't create much tension.

• Tension

  • Blaise
  • 10/19/10

  This was a nice little film noir surprise...I had never heard of it, but enjoyed it very much. Lot's of great photography and "street scenes" of LA; and a clever twisting plot.

• Neat and Nifty Film Noir

  • Paul Conrad Jackson
  • 9/9/09

  Tension (1950) is surely a neat and nifty piece of sharp and succinct film noir. Nice surprise appearance by Cyd Charisse, and the ubiquitous Barry Sullivan fills a nice role. So does a bloated William Conrad, long before Cannon. I give it five out of five stars. Top notch entertainment.

• Pleasant surprise

  • Gaston K. Rivera
  • 1/12/08

  The wonders of technology allows us to enjoy today a rather underrated, not too well known, excellent film noir from 1949."Tension" is suspenful, intelligent, fast and engaging at all times. Superb atmosphere, solid performances, and great plot are added gems. This film is highly recommended and a must for lovers of film noir. Enjoy.

• I love it!!

  • Sandi
  • 7/2/07

  A great little B picture. It's coming to DVD in July and I can't wait.You won't believe how cold Audrey Totter is.Check it out,or better yet buy the DVD and maybe oh maybe,they'll release more.

• Excellant

  • Joe poole
  • 2/12/06

  Don't read the synopsis before you watch the movie or you won't be able to try and figure it out on your own. An excellant suspense movie that should be shown more often and not only in the early morning hours. Started to watch it in order to go back to sleep but was too involved before I knew it. Never did go back to sleep. Would like to purchase it on DVD.

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