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?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?
Videos1
Tom Keene
- Detectiveas Detective
- (as Richard Powers)
Eddie Borden
- Man in Hotel Baras Man in Hotel Bar
- (uncredited)
Homicide Capt. Finlay finds evidence that one or more of a group of demobilized soldiers is involved in the death of Joseph Samuels. In flashbacks, we see the night's events from different viewpoints as army Sgt. Keeley investigates on his own, trying to clear Mitchell, to whom circumstantial evidence points. Then the real, ugly motive for the killing begins to dawn on both Finlay and Keeley. —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Top review
A gem from the past
'Film Noir' is a much-used (and misused), catch phrase, coined to describe
Hollywood films of the forties and fifties. These films were invariable in black and white (hence the paucity of such films on Australian commercial TV), and shot on tiny budgets in a matter of a few weeks. The plots are generally formulaic. Someone is murdered, someone else will be framed for that murder, and a
'dame' figures somewhere in the proceedings. "Crossfire" is low budget, and shot in black & white: admirably so by J. Roy Hunt. And yes, there's a 'dame' involved. What sets "Crossfire" apart from most of the other films of that era, is that it's not just another murder mystery, however well executed. This is a film about
religious intolerance. That people are killed is but the flesh on the bones of a film about (without preaching), racial vilification. The director, Edward Dmytryk was a fine, and now, a sadly neglected director. He knew how to work within the confines of the studio system, and turn out a
quality film like "Crossfire" The original thrust of the films' message, was, apparently, about homophobia. This upset the Hays Office. and religious
persecution was substituted instead. There is not a wasted frame in this picture. It runs a taught 86 minutes. For my money, Robert Young, who plays the detective charged with solving who
murdered whom, and why, is a standout. This in face of an understated Robert
Mitcham, and a powerful performance by Robert Ryan as the psychotic
Montgomery - think of his role as Claggart, in the film "Billy Budd". Believe me when I say that it was truly refreshing to see a film (thank god for late night TV), where the actors can act, the dialogue is intelligent, and where
computer graphics and special effects were not used as a substitute for plot
Hollywood films of the forties and fifties. These films were invariable in black and white (hence the paucity of such films on Australian commercial TV), and shot on tiny budgets in a matter of a few weeks. The plots are generally formulaic. Someone is murdered, someone else will be framed for that murder, and a
'dame' figures somewhere in the proceedings. "Crossfire" is low budget, and shot in black & white: admirably so by J. Roy Hunt. And yes, there's a 'dame' involved. What sets "Crossfire" apart from most of the other films of that era, is that it's not just another murder mystery, however well executed. This is a film about
religious intolerance. That people are killed is but the flesh on the bones of a film about (without preaching), racial vilification. The director, Edward Dmytryk was a fine, and now, a sadly neglected director. He knew how to work within the confines of the studio system, and turn out a
quality film like "Crossfire" The original thrust of the films' message, was, apparently, about homophobia. This upset the Hays Office. and religious
persecution was substituted instead. There is not a wasted frame in this picture. It runs a taught 86 minutes. For my money, Robert Young, who plays the detective charged with solving who
murdered whom, and why, is a standout. This in face of an understated Robert
Mitcham, and a powerful performance by Robert Ryan as the psychotic
Montgomery - think of his role as Claggart, in the film "Billy Budd". Believe me when I say that it was truly refreshing to see a film (thank god for late night TV), where the actors can act, the dialogue is intelligent, and where
computer graphics and special effects were not used as a substitute for plot
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- insomnia
- Jul 21, 2003
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