Criss Cross (1946)

Film noir brought a new jaded view of life to the post WWII world. Among the dark shadows and dark motives expressed on the screen, probably the most telling characteristic of film noir is fatalism – the fact that fate plays a part in the proceedings and you can't beat it; there is just no way.

There is another element to noir, and that is the stupid decisions by the protagonist that lead to trouble. These are often mistaken by the characters for fatal interventions but really only highlight the well earned payback life tends to deal you for a dumb decision. That is the type of movie we're looking at today, Burt Lancaster as protagonist in Criss Cross, and boy, is he dumb!

Stylishly directed by Robert Siodmak (Phantom Lady), Criss Cross tells the story of a love obsessed loser Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster) who returns to Lost Angeles after an extended absence, trying unsuccessfully to get over a brief trial marriage that went sour. Thompson proves he didn't learn a thing as he tries to take up again with his life as he knew it.

The object of his desire is Anna (Yvonne DeCarlo), a sexy young nymph who is Lancaster's ex-wife. Everybody but lovestruck Lancaster can see that DeCarlo is unstable and bad medicine looking for a place to happen. His mother, his friend, and even the local bartender try to tell him but bull-headed Lancaster disregards their well intentioned advice.

Lancaster has a job as an armored car guard and can't give DeCarlo the things she craves. She seeks these finer things from the hand of low level gangster Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea) yet keeps the back door open for Lancaster, who fools himself into thinking she will leave Duryea for him. When she marries Duryea in a fit of pique it only makes Lancaster desire her more and the affair goes on. Duryea catches them one day and Lancaster, rather than facing an immediate bullet, pitches him a cock n bull story about planning an armored car heist as the inside man. Duryea agrees to go along with the gag and the stage is set for tragedy all around.

The real problem with Criss Cross is the underwritten characters, the poorly realized story, and miscasting. Certainly there was enough star power with the three headliners, Burt Lancaster, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Dan Duryea all of whom I've seen carry movies all by themselves, but in this one, too many things just didn't ring true. Sure, the script had all sorts of extravagant dialogue but words alone can't make the picture, the exchanges have to ring true, and unfortunately it comes across mainly as bombast and static.

Burt Lancaster, who is among my favorite actors of all time, is miscast as Steve. There is no way he can portray a loser that grovels to Dan Duryea (Scarlet Street), a fine actor in his own right, but one of the weasel variety and not remotely credible as one who could cow the hairy chested Lancaster.

Yvonne DeCarlo is given the role of a lifetime that could have catapulted her to the ranks of real femmes fatales like Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Bennett, or Jane Greer. She does fairly well with the underwritten part, but doesn't have the shtick to make Anna a real character. I would love to have seen someone with the talent of a Stanwyck essay the part of the duplicitous Anna who plays both ends against the middle, but ended up earning her own downfall.

The only one of the three headliners that fully delivers the goods is Dan Duryea, but he played that similar part a number of times. Familiar faces Steven McNally, Percy Helton, and John Doucette do well in their small parts and Tony Curtis makes his first, uncredited, screen appearance as Yvonne DeCarlo's rumba dance partner.

Director Robert Siodmak had some glitzy camera moves but didn't think through how to economically tell his story. I loved how he handled some scenes like the rumba and the shootout; showing each shot and its effect. The cinematography, by Frank Planer, is stunning and dark and well preserved. Miklos Rosza's score is heavy and overbearing at times. Thankfully, it does not permeate the entire running time.

The Universal DVD has a pristine copy of the 88 minute black and white movie in full frame theatrical format. The theatrical trailer and subtitles are the only extras. I wish I could tell you it's a better movie because it has some dang good inputs. But it is just a half hearted, average little potboiler, though.

Thanks for stopping by!

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV