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IMDbPro

Crossfire

  • 19471947
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
8.7K
YOUR RATING
Robert Mitchum, Robert Young, Gloria Grahame, Sam Levene, and Robert Ryan in Crossfire (1947)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer0:57
1 Video
73 Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Film-Noir
A man is murdered, apparently by one of a group of demobilized soldiers he met in a bar. But which one? And why?A man is murdered, apparently by one of a group of demobilized soldiers he met in a bar. But which one? And why?A man is murdered, apparently by one of a group of demobilized soldiers he met in a bar. But which one? And why?
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
8.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Edward Dmytryk
  • Writers
    • John Paxton(screenplay)
    • Richard Brooks(adapted from a novel by)
  • Stars
    • Robert Young
    • Robert Mitchum
    • Robert Ryan
Top credits
  • Director
    • Edward Dmytryk
  • Writers
    • John Paxton(screenplay)
    • Richard Brooks(adapted from a novel by)
  • Stars
    • Robert Young
    • Robert Mitchum
    • Robert Ryan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 94User reviews
    • 51Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 5 Oscars
      • 3 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos1

    Crossfire
    Trailer 0:57
    Crossfire

    Photos73

    Robert Mitchum in Crossfire (1947)
    Gloria Grahame and George Cooper in Crossfire (1947)
    Robert Mitchum, Robert Young, and Robert Ryan in Crossfire (1947)
    Robert Young and Gloria Grahame in Crossfire (1947)
    Robert Mitchum and George Cooper in Crossfire (1947)
    William Phipps and Robert Ryan in Crossfire (1947)
    Robert Mitchum, Robert Young, and Robert Ryan in Crossfire (1947)
    Robert Mitchum in Crossfire (1947)
    Robert Mitchum, Robert Young, Gloria Grahame, Sam Levene, and Robert Ryan in Crossfire (1947)
    Gloria Grahame in Crossfire (1947)
    Crossfire (1947)
    Crossfire (1947)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert Young
    Robert Young
    • Finlayas Finlay
    Robert Mitchum
    Robert Mitchum
    • Keeleyas Keeley
    Robert Ryan
    Robert Ryan
    • Montgomeryas Montgomery
    Gloria Grahame
    Gloria Grahame
    • Ginnyas Ginny
    Paul Kelly
    Paul Kelly
    • The Manas The Man
    Sam Levene
    Sam Levene
    • Samuelsas Samuels
    Jacqueline White
    Jacqueline White
    • Mary Mitchellas Mary Mitchell
    Steve Brodie
    Steve Brodie
    • Floydas Floyd
    George Cooper
    George Cooper
    • Mitchellas Mitchell
    Richard Benedict
    Richard Benedict
    • Billas Bill
    Tom Keene
    Tom Keene
    • Detectiveas Detective
    • (as Richard Powers)
    William Phipps
    William Phipps
    • Leroyas Leroy
    Lex Barker
    Lex Barker
    • Harryas Harry
    Marlo Dwyer
    Marlo Dwyer
    • Miss Lewisas Miss Lewis
    George Barrows
    George Barrows
    • Military Policemanas Military Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    Eddie Borden
    Eddie Borden
    • Man in Hotel Baras Man in Hotel Bar
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Bray
    Robert Bray
    • Military Policemanas Military Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    Don Cadell
    • Military Policemanas Military Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Edward Dmytryk
    • Writers
      • John Paxton(screenplay)
      • Richard Brooks(adapted from a novel by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Based on Richard Brooks' first novel, "The Brick Foxhole" (1945), written while he was still a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. One of the many subplots of the novel dealt with homophobia, but that was changed to anti-Semitism and became the focus of the story for the film. The decision was made by producer Adrian Scott, who had purchased the rights to the novel, knowing any depiction of homosexuality would not get past the Production Code Administration.
    • Goofs
      When Keeley is at the door talking to Floyd, just before Keeley and Bill Williams leave Floyd's room, the boom operator is reflected, perfectly framed, in the mirror to the left of the door behind Keeley in two shots for a total of about 17 seconds.
    • Quotes

      Finlay: Hating is always the same, always senseless. One day it kills Irish Catholics, the next day Jews, the next day Protestants, the next day Quakers. It's hard to stop. It can end up killing men who wear striped neckties. Or people from Tennessee.

    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a computer colorized version.
    • Connections
      Edited into American Cinema: Film Noir (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Shine
      (uncredited)

      Written by Cecil Mack, Lew Brown, and Ford Dabney

      Performed Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band

      Played in Red Dragon dance hall when Mitchell first meets Ginny

    User reviews94

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Good movie, could have been great
    "Crossfire" feels like an underdeveloped masterpiece -- it's well acted and beautifully filmed, but thinly written and way too short. As is, it's just a decent police procedural with hints of film noir (at its zenith in 1947) and social commentary (also trendy at the time) thrown in for good measure. It's remembered today as one of the first two Hollywood films to deal with anti-Semitism, and as being much better than the similarly-themed "Gentleman's Agreement" (no mean feat). But its real subject is the difficulty that WWII soldiers, as trained killers, were having as they made the transition to civilian life. (For a more genteel take on this topic, try "The Best Years Of Our Lives.") A man is beaten to death in the first few frames of the film. We do not see his attacker. The movie is about the investigation of this murder, which is actually pretty straightforward, but it takes some unnecessary detours, like when the main suspect, a depressed soldier, winds up in the apartment of Gloria Grahame, a dance-hall hooker with a really weird pimp played by Paul Kelly. There's also a civics lecture halfway through the movie that slows the proceedings to a crawl, and the ending is tidy enough for a cop show. But otherwise it's a pretty decent mystery. Still, what a great noir it could have been. Director Edward Dmytryk drops a few hints at the subject of the original novel -- homosexuality, not anti-Semitism -- like when sadistic creep Monty seethes at the image of his friend Mitch talking with a strange man at a bar. And the cast is excellent. Robert Ryan makes for a very credible cretin, and even becomes a little sympathetic in his final scenes, not unlike Peter Lorre as the child murderer in "M." He deserved an Oscar but lost to Edmund Gwenn that year (you can't beat Santa Claus). Robert Mitchum is onhand as a soldier friend of the accused killer. Was Mitchum a great actor or a great star? Someone else can figure that out, but his sleepy eyes and bemused half-smile work very well here since they imply that his character knows something everyone else doesn't. (And he does.) And Robert Young, as the detective assigned to the murder, is surprisingly gritty, discarding his usual avuncular affability even when he has to deliver the civil-rights sermon midway through the picture. There's no question that Bogart or Tracy would have been brilliant in the role, but neither of them were at RKO in 1947 so you'll just have to deal with Dr. Welby. Still, Young is good enough to make you wish someone had cast him in a detective drama instead of "Father Knows Best," which he hated and which drove him to alcoholism and suicide attempts. The man deserved better than smarm and Sanka.
    helpful•18
    4
    • Putzberger
    • May 3, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 15, 1947 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Cradle of Fear
    • Filming locations
      • RKO Encino Ranch - Balboa Boulevard & Burbank Boulevard, Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $250,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 26 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Robert Mitchum, Robert Young, Gloria Grahame, Sam Levene, and Robert Ryan in Crossfire (1947)
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