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Which 1949 crime film showed Don Siegel’s skill with hard-boiled action?

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Don Siegel, wearing a hat and sunglasses, stands beside Clint Eastwood, also in sunglasses and a suit, on the set of the film Dirty Harry with a large studio light overhead. — Don Siegel Don Siegel (left) and Clint Eastwood during the filming of *Dirty Harry* (1971).

The 1949 crime film that demonstrated Don Siegel’s skill with hard-boiled action is The Big Steal.1

While the film was a lighthearted crime yarn that reunited stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, it served as an early indicator of the facility with the hard-boiled action genre that would eventually define Siegel’s reputation as a director.1