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On Dangerous Ground (1951)

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Average Rating: 8.3/10
Reviews Counted: 12
Fresh: 12 | Rotten: 0

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 1
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 0

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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 992

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Movie Info

Robert Ryan plays Jim Wilson, a tough police detective embittered by years of dealing with low-life urban scum, in Nicholas Ray's moving film noir. After severely beating several suspects, Jim is assigned to a case far from the city to find the killer of a young girl. Joining the manhunt, in snow-covered terrain, Wilson finds himself paired with the victim's father, Walter Brent (Ward Bond), who plans to shoot the killer himself. When the two men come upon a cabin occupied by Mary Malden (Ida

R, 1 hr. 22 min.

Mystery & Suspense, Drama

Directed By: Nicholas Ray , Ida Lupino

Written By: A.I. Bezzerides, Nicholas Ray

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1952 Wide

Cast

Ida Lupino
Mary Malden
Robert Ryan
Jim Wilson
Ward Bond
Walter Brent
Charles Kemper
Bill Daly
Anthony Ross
Pete Santos
Sumner Williams
Danny Malden
Ed Begley Sr.
Capt. Brawley
Ian Wolfe
Carrey
Gus Schilling
Lucky
Frank Ferguson
Willows
Cleo Moore
Myrna
Olive Carey
Mrs. Brent
Richard Irving
Bernie
Pat Prest
Julie
Eddie Borden
Man
William Challee
Thug
Jimmy Conlin
Doc Hyman
Joe Devlin
Bartender
Donald Dillaway
Man
Budd Fine
Man
Kate Lawson
Woman
Ruth Lee
Helen
Al Murphy
Man
Nestor Paiva
Bagganierri
Gene Persson
Boy
Steve Roberts
Man
Tracey Roberts
Peggy Santos
Nita Talbot
Woman in Bar
Joan Taylor
Hazel
Ken Terrell
Crook
Esther Zeitlin
Woman
Frank Arnold
Man
A.I. Bezzerides
Gatos
Jim Drum
Stretcher Bearer
Art Dupuis
Man
Bill Hammond
Fred
Michael Lally
Man
W.J. O'Brien
Hotel Clerk
Vera Stokes
Mother
Homer Dickenson
Man

Critic Reviews for On Dangerous Ground

All Critics (12) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (0)

One of the loveliest of Nick Ray's movies.

October 23, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

Haunting mix of police story, romance and tale of regeneration.

January 30, 2012 Full Review Source: Classic Film and Television

| Comment

Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

What succeeds in On Dangerous Ground is the raw emotionalism that bleeds out from the screen, unmatched in any of Ray's other films.

July 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com

| Comment

Paul Brenner

Filmcritic.com

Nicholas Ray's classic noir starring Ryan and Lupino.

March 2, 2008 Comment

Steve Crum

Video-Reviewmaster.com

A realistic and often gripping crime yarn.

October 23, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

Above par noir thriller that takes some stereotypical characters and potentially sentimental situations to fashion them into a film that thinks as well as entertains.

October 23, 2007 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

One of noir's most soulful and poetic expressions of hope and redemption.

August 16, 2006 Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness

| Comment

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

[One of] a string of masterworks from Ray.

July 20, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Perched between late-'40s noir and mid-'50s crime drama, this is one of the great, forgotten works of the genre.

May 1, 2006 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine

| Comment

Fernando F. Croce

Slant Magazine

Nicholas Ray's existential melodrama is considered to be a flawed noir because of its upbeat ending, but it's one of the director's most lyrical tales and is extremely well acted by Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan.

June 19, 2005 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

Overcomes its artificial contrivances to become a touching psychological drama about despair and loneliness.

January 29, 2005 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

| Comment

Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for On Dangerous Ground

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Atmospheric noir mood piece with excellent work by greats Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino with an evocative score by Bernard Hermann, reportedly his favorite of all his work.

September 25, 2010

jay nixon

Super Reviewer

Really interesting Noir from Nicholas Ray.It's sort of the Dusk till Dawn of it's day. It's a picture of two distinct halves. The first a police film. The second a chase.It's easy to see why this film, with it's early use of hand held camera was an inspiration for the French new wave. As Godard said "Nicholas Ray is cinema"

May 5, 2007

Ken Stachnik

Super Reviewer

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