Stuck in the Quicksand

While watching Quicksand, it’s really difficult to be conscious of the fact that the lead is being played by a thirty year old Mickey Rooney. After all of the musicals and rather light hearted fare, Rooney landed the lead role of mechanic Danny Brady in this 1950 feature.

Within the first five minutes or so of the film the female lead, who is obviously going to drag Rooney down towards damnation, enters, makes a date with him and snidely responds to various questions. It’s pretty much all down hill from there.

What transpires during this film really is aimed at making the point that women can cause a great deal of trouble, leaving a man with nothing to show. And that’s all accurately played out.

Rooney’s character goes from stealing from the register at his job to larceny, car theft and murder in less than an hour and a half. That’s a pretty dramatic rise to crook-dom. Oddly, though, the plot still makes total sense, even while the actions of Rooney’s character don’t.

In his attempts to impress the female lead Vera (Jeanne Cagney), who looks like a second rate Lauren Bacall, Rooney eventually commits enough boneheaded acts as to have the police chase him for the attempted murder of his boss. The exchanges between Rooney and Cagney illustrate the laters lack of compassion, regardless of the situation.

Rooney manages escape after narrow escape only to meet up with an old flame and make a daring dash to flee by boat. It’s not too surprising that the nascent crook gets caught, but the ending is a surprise – or at least the fact that it doesn’t turn out as awfully as it could is surprising.