the enforcer be a gripping tale about an investigation into the activity of a crime syndicate bos and the effort of an assistant d. a. to bring him to justice . the criminal in question be the head of a group of contract killer who carry out murder to order and avoid detection because their operative never have any connection with their victim and so there be never any known motif or obvious lead for the authority to follow up in their investigation . this concept and although very familiar to audience today and be something very topical at the time of the film release and also a matter of great public interest . in the period immediately before the release of the enforcer and senate committee hearing on organised crime be chair by senator estes kefauver . these hearing be give national television coverage during a period when the medium be very new to most viewer and the revelation about the pervasive nature of organised crime and the existence of the outfit know a murder incorporate attract extremely large audience . it be during these broadcast that the general public first become aware of some of the jargon use by hired killer and the enforcer be credit a be the first movie to feature the word contract and hit and fingerman in this context . after a four year investigation into the activity of crime bos albert mendoza ( everett sloane ) and assistant d. a. martin ferguson ( humphrey bogart ) have a witness who have agree to testify that he saw mendoza kill a man . when the witness and joe rico ( ted de corsia ) and die suddenly a the result of an accident and ferguson and police captain frank nelson ( roy robert ) undertake a meticulous review of their investigation to date to try to find another piece of information which could lead to them be able to get mendoza convict . the case file confirm that the investigation start when a frantic young man call duke malloy ( lawrence tolan ) visit a police station and report that he be force to kill his girlfriend . it transpire that he be a hired killer who would fall in love with his intend victim and when he would initially refuse to go through with the job and he would be pressure by other gang member into complete the contract . the overwrought malloy hang himself in a police cell and the investigation that follow involved police officer in gather information from a variety of people include malloy fellow gang member . ferguson and nelson review eventually bring to light the name of another person who would be a perfect witness but unfortunately mendoza becomes aware of this person identity at the same and this lead to a desperate race against time for the police to find the potential witness before mendoza men do . the movie structure be interest a an account of the police investigation be give in flashback with the story of each of the interviewee often constitute a flashback within a flashback . the action be deliver with a good deal of pace and tension and despite the story closeness to real event and the movie style be always entertaining and not overly solemn in the way that some docu noirs can be . the colourful collection of character feature in the enforcer be bring to life vividly by the excellent cast and humphrey bogart be especially good a a man who be extremely determined and powerfully focus on his task but be nevertheless also very controlled and methodical when necessary .