+4
Crossfire (1947)
Directed by the inestimable Edward Dmytryk, and starring the 3 Roberts (Young, Mitchum, Ryan) along with the always fascinating Gloria Grahame, the film is a complex whodunit with noir treatment by cinematographer J. Roy Hunt.
John Paxton wrote the screenplay based upon the novel The Brick Foxhole written by Richard Brooks. In the book the object of murder was a homosexual. But since homosexuality could not be mentioned in 1947, the unfortunate character was switched to Jewish. In that way the premise was somewhat weakened, since Jews were not as heavily ostracized to the degree that homosexuals were. The comparatively gentler prejudice that Jews received at the time was showcased in Gentleman’s Agreement, released later that year.
Nonetheless, starting with a somewhat shaky premise did not hurt the film’s power, which was predominantly provided by its actors, direction and photography. Robert Young was especially effective somewhat against type, playing a semi-hardboiled police investigator. His continual pipe smoking actually served to soften his character, giving him more of a fatherly or professorial image.
Robert Ryan on the other hand registered a powerful performance of a near sadistic, dominant bully type-- a role which would more or less pigeonhole him for the rest of his career. Mitchum was his silky self in a portrayal of an honest concerned everyman soldier who simply wants to get to the truth. And Gloria Grahame played a tramp who is finally convinced to tell what she knows.
Crossfire is not in the highest ranking on my list of personal favorite noir pictures, nor in general are films which prominently feature aggressive bully types (e.g. Kiss of Death, also in '47). Still this is a well done memorable picture with notable themes and performances, and is an essential example of top film making from Hollywood’s golden noir era.