SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Neil Doyle Too bad Paramount couldn't have found a better script on which to lavish good Technicolor and handsome sets for ALAN LADD's first western.It's really a below average western story about a good railroad man (Ladd) who resumes friendship with an old friend from his past (ROBERT PRESTON) who is married to Ladd's former childhood sweetheart (BRENDA MARSHALL). The set-up is predictable once Ladd starts to see through Preston's villainous behavior after Preston has joined a train robbery gang headed by DONALD CRISP.WILLIAM DEMAREST does his usual dependable job as Ladd's friend, while Crisp is only slightly menacing in his bad guy mode. FRANK FAYLEN plays a squinty-eyed albino with a poker face and is supposed to be chilling as a merciless gunman. Unfortunately, his make-up is ridiculous.ALAN LADD makes a handsome hero and plays his role in usual low-key style. ROBERT PRESTON does okay as the loutish friend turned bad guy, while BRENDA MARSHALL makes very little impression in a weak supporting role.Summing up: Below average western is enhanced by gorgeous Technicolor.

wes-connors Colorful, but dull, tale of two friends "working on the railroad." Alan Ladd plays the friend who falls a little more to the good side of the tracks - and Robert Preston plays the friend who bends over more on the wrong side of the tracks. Of course, there is a Woman between them… she married one, but longs for the other - or, maybe she loved/loves them both? The sets and photography are lovely. There is a big railroad and train running through town, which means robbers, and a lot of shooting, are obligatory. I guess the ending could be interpreted as a little open-ended, but I think Mr. Preston decides whether Mr. Ladd lives - or dies... ***** Whispering Smith (1948) Leslie Fenton ~ Alan Ladd, Robert Preston, Brenda Marshall

MartinHafer This was an awfully mediocre Western even though it featured Alan Ladd and Robert Preston--two actors capable of much better films than this. This isn't to say it's bad--just very ordinary and only a time-passer.Ladd is a special agent that works for the railroad. He comes in town to round up a trio of brothers who have been robbing trains. He makes pretty short work of these three in only the first 10 minutes or so of the film and the focus then is on his renewing an old friendship with Preston--a guy who also works for the railroad and a guy who married the woman who was stuck on Ladd years earlier. Well, the two friends are as happy as two clams, though the fact that Preston is a bit crooked it telegraphed so that everyone in the audience and all the other actors seem to know it long before Ladd. Either Ladd is really dumb or blinded by loyalty. However, as the film progresses, this friendship is in tatters and the inevitable confrontation between them eventually occurs and the movie ends. All this looks like something I've seen before several times and it's too bad the stars weren't given better material, as nothing seemed to occur that wasn't expected.

westerner357 This is a standard actioner about railroad detective Luke Smith (Alan Ladd) who has to track down an old buddy Murray Sinclair (Robert Preston) whom he believes is involved in a series of railroad hold ups. Murray also happens to have a fine spread and is married to Smith's old love interest, Marion (Brenda Marshall).Smith cut's Murray a lot of breaks and gives him the benefit of the doubt until someone is killed in a railroad hold-up and he can no longer turn a blind eye towards his old friend. Donald Crisp plays the leader the gang that led Murray astray and we have bad guy Whitey (Frank Faylen wearing a blond wig) as the heavy. Paramount gave it an "A" picture look with excellent Technicolor production values, but it deserves a better plot. Preston merely repeats his good-guy-gone-bad role from BLOOD ON THE MOON, and Ladd is capable but low-key to the point of almost being monotonous. Crisp as a bad guy makes no impression while Faylen's blond wig, looks ridiculous.It starts off being filmed up in the beautiful Sierras but winds up towards the end at the same ranch locations that Paramount used for most of it's programmers. Same old locations.It's not bad, but it's nothing special, imo. Average.5 out of 10