Crossfire (1947)

Crossfire is a film noir that explores a very primitive emotion - hatred of somebody just because they are a member of a certain group. For that emphasis it is a very interesting movie and sets it apart from the herd.

Set in the immediate post war era, the movie zeroes in on a group of GIs, either recently discharged or waiting for discharge. They while away the hours playing cards in their barracks or stray outside into the dark urban jungle that surrounds their little piece of home territory.

As from time immemorial the peaceful pursuits of soldiers invariably involve women and booze and we are confronted with a murder right off, depicted by giant-sized shadows on an upscale apartment wall. The story quickly shifts from a whodunit, to a whydunit. We realize who was killed and quite soon we know who the killer is, but why did he do it? That is the question…

From a Richard Brooks (The Professionals) novel, The Brick Foxhole, the story that became Crossfire was too controversial to tell; details had to be changed in order to get it past the censors.

There was no way filmmaker Edward Dymtryk was going to be allowed to tell the story of the murder of a homosexual, but he could tell the story of the murder of a Jew, so that is what the victim became. Crossfire has the distinction of being the first movie to deal with such religious or racial intolerance, appearing before the Oscar-winning Gentleman’s Agreement, which soon followed that same year.

Crossfire was nominated for all the important Oscars, but won none, although it did win the prize at Cannes. Starring three, count em, three Roberts - Robert Mitchum, Robert Young, and Robert Ryan - RKO Pictures brought forth a hard hitting look at the ugly side of life. Mitchum and Ryan play GIs, with Robert Young (Father Knows Best) playing a thoughtful but probing police detective tasked with solving the murder. All three performances are superior, with Mitchum (Out of the Past) uncharacteristically taking a backseat to the other two Bobs in a clearly supporting role.

OK, so you have Robert Young, the veteran detective, who knows who did the killing but has to prove there was a motive. The way he does that involves quite an interesting piece of deduction and subterfuge that fills up the remainder of the running time. You probably won't be able to guess how he finally catches the killer.

Edward Dmytryk, the director, was at the top of his game here. A communist, who soon after had his career derailed for a brief period by the HUAC - he named names - he was accepted back into the film community but hardly did better than he did in Crossfire. His best known film, The Caine Mutiny, suffered from a similar deficiency to Crossfire; an uninteresting protagonist who occupied too much screen time, however surrounded by fascinating events and performances from the supporting cast. I was quite surprised that both films, which I like, each had a similar defect. Despite that minor con, both The Caine Mutiny and Crossfire are well above average and merit four or five stars.

The Warner Bros. DVD is in black and white, in 1.33:1 theatrical format, and runs 86 minutes. The performances from the three Bobs are impeccable, with a surprise nice turn by Gloria Grahame as a woman of, um, easy virtue, you know, the kind GIs like to date. The film does focus on George Cooper a mite too much, but the drama unleashed by the other characters makes up for any slow parts, and then some. The DVD has an interesting featurette with director Edward Dymtryk explaining his rationale and shot choices for the movie.

Film noir fans as well as those interested in social ills will enjoy Crossfire.

The nearest film I can think of that compares to Crossfire would be 12 Angry Men.

Thanks for reading!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening