• Trending
    • Certified Fresh & Verified Hot
    • TV Premier dates
    • New horror Movies
    • Best Movies of All Time
  • Movies
    • Movies In Theaters
    • Movies at Home
  • TV Shows
    • New TV
    • Most Popular TV
  • News
    • What to Watch
    • Guides
    • RT News
    • Awards
  • Games
    • Find Your Next Horror Watch
  • Video
  • Showtimes
  • Fanstore
  • About Rotten Tomatoes
  • Critics
  • Download the App Now
  • Logout
Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App New News Showtimes

The Tall Target

Play trailer Poster for The Tall Target 1951,  1h 18m,  Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 100% 7 Reviews Tomatometer 65% 250+ Ratings Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Abraham Lincoln will be traveling by rail to his inauguration in Washington and a plot is being hatched to assassinate him as he passes through Baltimore. New York detective John Kennedy (Dick Powell) tries to alert his superiors to the scheme, but his suspicions are dismissed. He decides to quit the force and boards the train to try to thwart the assassins himself. He's unsure of whom he can trust but finds a potential ally in Ginny Beaufort (Paula Raymond), the sister of one of the plotters.

Critics Reviews

View More
Richard Brody The New Yorker Jan 27, 2020
Director Anthony Mann fleshes out the intricate story with vigorous and subtle attention to its disparate elements-political, psychological, and brutal. Go to Full Review
Fernando F. Croce Slant Magazine Jun 8, 2006
4/4
As in Reign of Terror, Anthony Mann fashions a noir mini-masterpiece out of incongruous period reconstruction. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Feb 13, 2025
4/5
Filmmaker Anthony Mann--who redefined the Western two years later with The Naked Spur--treats The Tall Target like the noir it is while capturing a political atmosphere on the edge in 1861. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Jan 28, 2025
3/4
The train setting is imaginatively employed by director Anthony Mann. Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Dec 6, 2009
... a film full of dynamic images and marvelous grace notes. Go to Full Review
Gabe Leibowitz Film and Felt Feb 14, 2009
76/100
For all its social relevance, The Tall Target is first and foremost a 50's drama, full of action, whiskey, and saucy characters. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews
The Tall Target

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Anthony Mann

Director

Dick Powell

John Kennedy

Paula Raymond

Ginny Beaufort

Adolphe Menjou

Colonel Caleb Jeffers

Marshall Thompson

Lance Beaufort

Ruby Dee

Rachel

More Like This

View All
This Island Earth 75% 45% This Island Earth Watchlist A Caribbean Mystery 55% A Caribbean Mystery Watchlist Alien Nation: Body and Soul 56% Alien Nation: Body and Soul Watchlist Moonfleet 67% 70% Moonfleet Watchlist Dreamship Surprise: Period 1 62% Dreamship Surprise: Period 1 Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

The Tall Target

The Tall Target (1951) The Tall Target (1951) The Tall Target (1951) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Abraham Lincoln will be traveling by rail to his inauguration in Washington and a plot is being hatched to assassinate him as he passes through Baltimore. New York detective John Kennedy (Dick Powell) tries to alert his superiors to the scheme, but his suspicions are dismissed. He decides to quit the force and boards the train to try to thwart the assassins himself. He's unsure of whom he can trust but finds a potential ally in Ginny Beaufort (Paula Raymond), the sister of one of the plotters.
Director
Anthony Mann
Producer
Richard Goldstone
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 18m
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings