Movie Review: The Whip Hand (1951)
Synopsis: While fishing in the Midwest, journalist Matt Corbin gets caught in a rainstorm, slips on the rocks and hurts his head. After getting lost, he seeks medical attention in a nearly deserted town and finds the residents both secretive and hostile. When he learns the town once was a fishing destination, but a virus killed all the fish, Corbin senses a story and decides to investigate. Soon after, he discovers the residents are making it impossible for him to contact the outside world or leave.
Who's in it? The movie stars Elliott Reid, Raymond Burr, Carla Balenda, Edgar Barrier and Otto Waldis.
Review: I came across The Whip Hand a couple weeks ago and thought it sounded interesting enough to add to my library. I decided to finally watch it yesterday and this morning and it ended up being a good choice.
The film does let the cat out of the bag a little bit in the opening scenes by suggesting it has something to do with the Cold War and the Soviet Union. However, there is quite a bit of mystery surrounding the small community Corbin (Reid) accidentally comes across, both in terms of what is really happening and why.
There is also quite a bit of suspense to go with the mystery. Nobody knows where Corbin is, something that puts him completely at the mercy of community leader Steve Loomis (Burr). In fact, I was a little surprised Loomis didn't just have Corbin killed outright rather than let him play his games and hang out around town once he refused their not-so-subtle request to leave.
The control Loomis had also raised questions about who Corbin could trust. There were some that clearly didn't like what was happening, such as the main love interest, Janet (Balenda). However, that didn't necessarily mean they would help Corbin at the risk of their own lives and betrayal was a very real possibility. This was especially true of Janet because her brother was one of the people involved.
Not to mention, escaping without the use of his car seemed like a near-impossible task. The community was both remote and in the middle of the wilderness.
The ending proved to be entertaining as a result, forcing Corbin to take steps that seemed well outside his character. It also had a couple twists that kept it from becoming as predictable as movies from this era sometimes are. Both were appreciated.
Final Opinion: I wish the movie would have skipped the opening scene that gives a bit too much of the secret away. However, it is an entertaining film that I think is worth taking the time to watch at least once.
My Grade: B+
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Here are some reviews of other movies starring Raymond Burr:
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