Crossfire (1947)
Runtime: 86 mins
Synopsis: This unusual and worthwhile black-and-white film noir was one of the first movies to deal with issues of anti-Semitism. A weary Washington detective (Robert Young) must get to the bottom of a seemingly motive-lacking murder, with the prime suspect a boozy soldier who can only vaguely recall... This unusual and worthwhile black-and-white film noir was one of the first movies to deal with issues of anti-Semitism. A weary Washington detective (Robert Young) must get to the bottom of a seemingly motive-lacking murder, with the prime suspect a boozy soldier who can only vaguely recall the events of the night. The story really digs its heels into lots of postwar issues--how soldiers need a place to put all their violence once the war is over and the other problems of readjusting to civilian life. Robert Mitchum stars as a friend of the accused soldier who helps the detective solve the case. Edward Dmytryk had already established himself as a fine noir director with MURDER, MY SWEET, made a few years earlier. Here he takes the shadowy, midnight world of desperate people and seedy dives and slyly turns it into a vehicle for the exploration of bigotry. The result is a quietly stunning, low-key classic. Young is especially good as the detective and gets ample help from Mitchum and Robert Ryan in this well-written, atmospheric drama. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, Gloria Grahame, Paul Kelly
DVD Info
Release:
Jul 5, 2005
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Full Frame - 1.37
Audio:
- Mono 1.0 English
Additional Release Material:
- Featurette: Hate Is like a Gun
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Producer Dore Schary, in association with Adrian Scott, has pulled no punches.
While the film remains a respectable thriller, only Ryan's crafty, quietly deranged performance lifts it out of the ordinary.
This ultra-low-budget thriller did what all great B movies do: it broached a subject that 'respectable' movies wouldn't touch.
Dealing with racial bigotry, this tense thriller combines a message drama with the stylistics of film noir, resulting in one of the best films of the 1940s, with top notch work from Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan.
It has a very strong and powerful message against anti-Semitism.
a drawn-out hour of investigation that looks like a schoolyard game of C.S.I.
It would have been a much better film if it weren't for the censor: there is absolutely no question about that.
An intriguing combination of a common noir theme with the liberal-minded message picture.


Top Critic