The Burglar starts out with a good premise, a heist that runs into problems mainly after the actual robbery has been completed. But the film itself runs into problems almost immediately because of that same premise, primarily because it cannot maintain the energy the opening started out with. It is the type of film that has a fun and exciting opening act, a dynamic and action-filled climax, but bogs down in the middle, coming out overall feeling bloated. This is the kind of film that would have served better as part of a double-bill, running about 60-70 minutes. At 90 minutes, it is too long and overstuffed.
The catalyst of the story is a jeweled necklace, part of a bequest left to Sister Sara, the leader of a spiritualist group. Nat Harbin (Dan Duryea) forms a gang that includes two men, Baylock (Peter Capell) and Dohmer (Mickey Shaughnessy), and Gladden (Jayne Mansfield), the daughter of his late mentor. Harbin promised his mentor that he would protect Gladden and much of what happens later in the film comes back to that promise. The robbery goes off mostly without a hitch, though a passing police car causes some trouble during the actual heist. Harbin placates the officers by feigning car trouble so they will leave but it does make the timing of the robbery a bit tight.
Once the job is done, though, the real problems begin. One of the officers has provided Harbin’s description once they place two and two together and realize the real reason he was in the area at the time. Plus, because of how hot the necklace is, the men have to sit on it for a time before they can take it to a fence and get any real money for it. This proves too much for one of the men, Dohmer, who tries to force himself on Gladden. Harbin sends her away to protect her but discovers she has started seeing a mysterious man who has been asking questions about the necklace. This man turns out to be Charlie (Stewart Bradley), one of the cops from the night of the robbery. From his questions, Harbin believes Charlie is not on the level but looking to take the necklace for himself, stringing Gladden along until he gets it.
The middle of this film feels like it is treading water, padding out the runtime to reach a set length. There is some interesting stuff here, but it is surrounded by filler. While the ending makes up for it to a degree, it is still a bit of a slog getting to that point. Jayne Mansfield is bringing things up a notch, though, as the tough-on-the-outside but vulnerable-on-the-inside daughter of a crook. She overshadows the other female supporting actress, Martha Vickers, who is playing a femme fatale that is less convincing. Martha never quite had the career she deserved and is good in other films, but here she is too one-note.
A film is the sum of its parts, not just one or two great sequences. That is why The Burglar is ultimately a disappointing film. There are moments of brilliance here, but they are mired down by way too much melodrama and unnecessarily long sequences. This could have been a taut dramatic noir picture. Instead, it is often frustrating to watch with the occasional moments of ingenuity. Even the score by Sol Kaplan, is jarring as it often falls back on harsh screeching that just hurts the ears. There is just too much opportunity wasted to give this an unqualified recommendation. 1957 - 90 minutes
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