Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Backfire (1950)

Overview

User Rating:
6.1/10   42 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 18% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Vincent Sherman
Writers:
Larry Marcus (story)
Larry Marcus (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Backfire on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 February 1950 (USA) more
Plot:
Bob Corey, recovering from a series of operations in a Veterans' hospital, learns that his friend, Steve Connally... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
Returning vets drawn into cesspool of postwar Los Angeles more

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Virginia Mayo ... Nurse Julie Benson

Gordon MacRae ... Bob Corey

Edmond O'Brien ... Steve Connolly
Dane Clark ... Ben Arno
Viveca Lindfors ... Lysa Randolph

Ed Begley ... Capt. Garcia
Frances Robinson ... Mrs. Blayne
Richard Rober ... Solly Blayne

Sheila MacRae ... Bonnie Willis (as Shela Stephens)
David Hoffman ... Burns
Monte Blue ... Det. Sgt. Pluther
Ida Moore ... Sybil
Leonard Strong ... Lee Quong
John Ridgely ... Plainclothesman
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Somewhere in the City (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
91 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Completed in October 1948, but not released until 1950. more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful:-
Returning vets drawn into cesspool of postwar Los Angeles, 29 October 2001
7/10
Author: bmacv from Western New York

The dislocation felt by returning servicemen was one of the chief topical themes of the film noir cycle. After being primed to take risks but no prisoners in the anarchic and violent theaters of World War, many found it hard to ratchet back down upon their return to an often jarringly altered society. Amnesia was the primary noir metaphor -- having to reconstruct an entire past life from scratch. Others faced having to cope with disabilities; still others, having spent the "best years of their lives" in hellholes abroad, weren't about to wait for the high life on the installment plan.

Backfire forgoes amnesia for the latter two categories. Gordon MacRae recuperates from spinal-cord injuries in a veterans' hospital until he can get out and buy a ranch with army buddy Edmond O'Brien, who abruptly vanishes. Upon release, MacRae sets out to track him down through the labyrinthine underbelly of postwar Los Angeles. It looks like O'Brien got mixed up with heavy gamblers, and is in fact wanted for apparently murdering a syndicate kingpin. MacRae is aided in his quest by his nurse (Virginia Mayo, good as a good gal for once) but thrown off the trail by a mysterious foreigner (Viveca Lindfors, as a discount-chain Ingrid Bergman). But, as always in the noir scheme, things are rarely what they at first seem....

No masterpiece, Backfire nevertheless keeps up the pace and the suspense, drawing (like Somewhere in the Night) on themes and formats that were central concerns of the cycle.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Backfire (1950)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Special Agent K-7 The Galloping Ghost The Drag-Net Tough Kid The Line-Up
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Crime section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.