It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

As a Postal Inspector, Alan Ladd investigates the murder of a fellow agent in Gary Indiana. His first job is to find the nun who witnessed the thugs moving the dead agent's body. The nun, played by Phyllis Calvert, provides the clue that leads to the identity of one of the thugs. As most reviewers have noted, it was intriguing to see Harry Morgan and Jack Webb teamed together in pre-Draget roles. Much to my surprise Webb did a good job as the psychotic killer since I've never cared much for his acting although his Dragnet parody skit on the Johnny Carson show is one of the funniest routines on television that I have ever seen. Ladd as the hard and rather cold Inspector does his usual convincing job and the supporting cast is strong (Jan Sterling does an excellent job in a relatively small but integral role) but it is Calvert who stands out. She is the counterpoint to the Ladd character's cynicism. She has one of the most interesting lines in the movie when she tells the cynical Ladd: "People don't pray to avoid death, they pray so they won't be disappointed." This movie is a keeper.

The worst crime committed by 'Appointment with Danger (1951)' is mediocrity, so it's not all bad, just a little uninteresting. Alan Ladd – everybody's favourite small-statured noir tough guy – stars as Al Goddard, a U.S. Postal Detective who, for some reason, is assigned to investigate a murder: who needs real police when the post-office is sending their top man? Goddard eventually becomes embroiled in a high-stakes currency hijacking, masquerading as a corrupt cop who wants in on the action. Yet the film struggles to inject any real suspense or emotion into a by-the-numbers police procedural. Ladd strides through the role with an indifferent breeziness; even when captured by his enemies, there's never any sense that he's in danger, nor that the criminals might actually get away with it.The film's cheerful introduction into the world of the U.S. Postal Service could just as well have been a paid-advertisement that preceded the film screening, and, if anything, undercut any semblance of suspense that 'Appointment with Danger' might later have produced. But there are good things to be said. Jack Webb gives the film's best performance as a rotten henchman, his cragged face tainted by an expression of contempt that he doesn't bother to conceal (he could later join with co-star Harry Morgan for the popular television series "Dragnet"). Phyliss Calvert is completely lovely as Sister Augustine, a nun who becomes witness to a murder, an event that instills some excitement into her otherwise peaceful and peaceable life. Sister Augustine's role is ostensibly to "soften" the cranky and pragmatic Detective Goddard – as did the Amish people to Harrison Ford in 'Witness (1985)' – but Ladd doesn't really afford his character any development.

Anyone who has ever read the summary of "Appointment with Danger" in Leonard Maltin's movie guide knows what I'm going to write. Jack Webb and Harry Morgan are the Bad Guys!!! In fact, they weren't just ordinary bad guys. There was no honor among thieves; they actually turned against each other. Really! In later years, Jack Webb built an interesting reputation by casting against type. Remember "Emergency"? Bobby Troup was a singer-songwriter. Julie London, another singer, was Troup's wife at the time--and Jack Webb's ex. Robert Fuller specialized in Westerns. I wonder if by playing a heel in this one was his inspiration. With Jack's fondness for uniforms and authority, one would have expected HIM to play the postal inspector.

This is one of Alan Ladd's best film noir flicks. It's not as famous as The Blue Dahlia or This Gun For Hire, but is at least as good due to fantastic and well-delivered dialog and an interesting story.I think one of the reasons I like it so much is because this movie has an early pairing of Harry Morgan and Jack Webb as thugs. And, to make it even better, Jack Webb beats Morgan to death with a bronzed baby shoe! Talk about sick irony!!! Another choice moment is during a handball game. All movie long, Ladd has been looking for his chance to punch the lights out of Webb but he can't as he has infiltrated the gang on behalf of good old Uncle Sam. During the game, however, tough guy Webb lets down his guard and he's playing away until instead of hitting the ball, Ladd cold-cocks him with a blow that looks like it, at the very least, caused major brain damage! So, give it a try--it's well worth it just to see Webb killing the man who will later be his partner on Dragnet!