A Gun in His Hand (1945)

Dennis Nordell joins the police force with a long-range goal; use the knowledge he gains to pursue a career of undetected crime. Camouflaged by his uniform and badge, he pulls of a number ... See full summary »

Director:

Joseph Losey

Writers:

Charles F. Royal (story), Richard H. Landau

Stars:

Tom Trout, Richard Gaines, Anthony Caruso

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tom Trout	...	Police Officer Dennis Nordell
Richard Gaines	...	Police Inspector Dana
Anthony Caruso	...	Frankie (as Tony Caruso)

Storyline

Dennis Nordell joins the police force with a long-range goal; use the knowledge he gains to pursue a career of undetected crime. Camouflaged by his uniform and badge, he pulls of a number of seemingly foolproof crimes, but is eventually trapped by an overlooked bit of evidence too small to be seen.

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Plot Keywords:

evidence | robbery | police academy | police officer | archive footage | 

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Genres:

Drama | Crime | Short

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crime Does Not Pay No. 46: A Gun in His Hand

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

19 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Good Cop, Bad Cop-----7/10.

This is the story of a young man who knew what he wanted to be once he graduated from the police academy: a thief. Once Dennis Nordell becomes an officer of the law, his grand scheming falls perfectly into place. Officer Nordell walks his beat through the day and plans robberies of liquor warehouses at night. Because Officer Nordell knows the whereabouts of his fellow officers up to the minute, he can plan without fail many robberies over several weeks.

Once Nordell murders a fellow police officer during a robbery, clues start to fall into place and Nordell starts to head unknowingly into a trap. Police headquarters suspect Nordell, but leave it to Nordell to hang himself while taking charge of the investigation. Nordell complies by tampering with evidence. Nordell goes a step too far by trying to put the finger on a street thug who literally doesn't have the fingers required to leave any fingerprints.

This story plays out like a decaffeinated CSI TV show. You won't have to sit through an hour to see how the robberies get figured out, nor will you have to wade through minutes and minutes of beer and car commercials. Best of all, you won't have to watch guys with perpetual two-day beards in khaki pants solve anything.

It's very dated, but who isn't these days….7/10.

Clark Richards