Crossfire
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.
Member Reviews
Minimal budget, maximum effect - CaptainDave
An astonishing, wordless, violent, beginning. An unsettlingly quick ending. And almost all the way through this is a tidy, yet off-kilter noir. Not showy, but definitely efficient.
It has almost no musical score, unpredictable dialogue, intriguing underplayed performances and no clear star. Is it Robert Ryan, playing the anti-Semitic soldier? Is it Robert Montgomery, playing the world-weary police detective? Is it Robert Mitchum, playing the war-numbed army sergeant? Or is it George Cooper, playing the traumatized GI? It doesn't matter because what you get is a great ensemble, especially when you add Gloria Grahame's no-nonsense hooker.
Yeah, it's also a movie with a message, which gives it at least a couple of terrific tense scenes, but The Message almost stops the movie cold when Robert Montgomery delivers The Speech.
But that's only almost. The rest of the time this is a clean, laconic, no-nonsense noir.Hollywood's Early Effort To Address Prejudice - bwod
"Crossfire" is a 1947 attempt by the major Hollywood studios to address a very touchy subject - prejudice in America - against Jews. Wrapped in a film noir style, including a murder-mystery (there is more than one death to deal with here), the film has an excellent script based on a novel, and the presence of a first-rate cast. Robert Ryan's slick and at times menacing performance is Oscar-worthy. It's interesting to find out that originally, the subject of attack was a homosexual, in the book, but Hollywood censors couldn't authorize a film with such a touchy subject. Thus, the Jewish angle. Definitely worth seeing. Nominated for five Acadamy Awards, "Crossfire" is both entertaining and moving. Two thumbs up.Anti-Semitism as a substitute for anti-gay. - TomD
An well executed mystery noir where what happened is only gradually revealed. The opening sequence, all done in shadows, set the story rolling and you're eventually introduced to the three Roberts in the cast. Ryan gives the best performance. His character is so smooth you as well as other characters in the film suspect him early on. Mitchum gets a top billing and his character seems unrealistically good and paternal. Young plays the police detective a bit too cooly and ends up pulling off a shot with a hand gun that would put a trained sniper to shame. The rest of the cast -- you could almost call them an ensemble -- makes up for these two deficiencies.
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Minimal budget, maximum effect - CaptainDave
An astonishing, wordless, violent, beginning. An unsettlingly quick ending. And almost all the way through this is a tidy, yet off-kilter noir. Not showy, but definitely efficient.
It has almost no musical score, unpredictable dialogue, intriguing underplayed ...Hollywood's Early Effort To Address Prejudice - bwod
"Crossfire" is a 1947 attempt by the major Hollywood studios to address a very touchy subject - prejudice in America - against Jews. Wrapped in a film noir style, including a murder-mystery (there is more than one death to deal with here), the film has an ...Anti-Semitism as a substitute for anti-gay. - TomD
An well executed mystery noir where what happened is only gradually revealed. The opening sequence, all done in shadows, set the story rolling and you're eventually introduced to the three Roberts in the cast. Ryan gives the best performance. His character ...