Crossfire

Edward Dmytryk's "Crossfire" was a powerful and seminal treatise dealing with anti-Semitism in post- WWII America. He broached an issue previously tabooed in films which was on the minds of many in the U.S. in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

Washington D.C. is teaming with servicemen who fought in the war but are presently idle with spare time on their hands. Inactivity leads to tragedy as a group of three inebriated soldiers are involved in the savage beating death of a man who turns out to be Jewish. The leader of the group is Robert Ryan, in an Oscar nominated performance, playing Montgomery a bigoted loathing, hateful man unable to control his emotions. He bullies his other two cohorts into silence. George Cooper, one of the two other soldiers, is a naive timid man who longs for his wife. He had been so tipsy that he doesn't have any recollection of the crime, so Ryan tries to implicate him. He quiets the third soldier by killing him and making it look like suicide.

Robert Young playing the coy and placid police captain Finlay, who had been exposed to Irish bigotry, is assigned to investigate the case. With the help of U.S. Army sergeant Robert Mitchum they uncover enough evidence to suspect Ryan, but have no motive. Young decoys Ryan and tricks him into revealing his deep seated violent feelings of anti-Semitism which soon incriminate him.

RKO Radio Pictures presents "CROSSFIRE" (22 July 1947) (86 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Edward Dmytryk's shadowy noir deals with a righteous homicide cop (Robert Young) investigating a murder --- Evidence points to a racist demobbed soldier Robert Ryan and his cronies - their motive, Antisemitism --- Robert Mitchum is the sergeant attempting to protect his charges while finding out the truth for himself --- This is a classic B-movie, using flashbacks and minimal lighting, making a virtue of its small budget --- It's the subject matter and the way it is dealt with that stays with you, explicitly and without apology drawing parallels between the soldiers back from a war and the enemy they were fighting --- Great performances all around --- Brave and impressive stuff.

Academy Award Nominations for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Ryan), Supporting Actress (Grahame) & Screenplay.

Under the production staff of:
Edward Dmytryk [Director]
John Paxton [Screenplay]
Richard Brooks [Novel]
Adrian Scott [Producer]
Roy Webb [Original Film Music]
J. Roy Hunt [Cinematographer]
Harry W. Gerstad [Film Editor]
Albert S. D'Agostino [Art Direction]
Alfred Herman [Art Direction]

BIOS:
1. Edward Dmytryk [Director]
Date of Birth: 4 September 1908 - Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada
Date of Death: 1 July 1999 - Encino, California

2. Robert Young [aka: Robert George Young]
Date of Birth: 22 February 1907 - Chicago, Illinois, USA
Date of Death: 21 July 1998 - Westlake Village, California, USA (respiratory failure)

3. Robert Mitchum [aka: Robert Charles Durman Mitchum]
Date of Birth: 6 August 1917 - Bridgeport, Connecticut
Date of Death: 1 July 1997 - Santa Barbara, California

4. Robert Ryan [aka: Robert Bushnell Ryan]
Date of Birth: 11 November 1909 - Chicago, Illinois
Date of Death: 11 July 1973 - New York City, New York

5. Gloria Grahame [aka: Gloria Hallward]
Date of Birth: 28 November 1923 - Los Angeles, California
Date of Death: 5 October 1981 - New York City, New York

the cast includes:
Robert Young - Finlay
Robert Mitchum - Keeley
Robert Ryan - Montgomery
Gloria Grahame - Ginny
Paul Kelly - The Man
Sam Levene - Samuels
Jacqueline White - Mary Mitchell
Steve Brodie - Floyd

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 86 min on DVD ~ RKO Radio Pictures ~ (07/05/2005)

I had been looking forward to seeing "Crossfire" for a number of years; it never seemed to be available on any of the channels I had access to. I finally got my wish and I was duly impressed. This is a very good movie that tells the story of what hate can do if left unchallenged. It is, thus, a message that is timeless in its' relevance. However, as I understand it, the screenplay altered the book ("The Brick Foxhole" by Richard Brooks) because the subject matter was ahead of its' time. In the book, the murderous anger is directed against homosexuals which would, to me, make for a more effective movie than the one that was presented. That comment aside, the elements of fear, prejudice, anger and superstition are all woven well together along with some very good acting. Robert Ryan is the dominant character both on the screen and in the plot. Playing almost an opposite personality is the low-key, almost bored, yet quite efficient policeman played by Robert Young. In between those two extremes is the role played by Robert Mitchum. This was from the era when Mitchum seemed at his peak in acting abilities and his role in "Crossfire" underscores his strength on the screen. The other roles are played with varying abilities. The transformation of the Ryan character from bully to desperate was very well done. There is a very small but interesting twist to the plot that caught me off-guard and helped me understand how the perpetrator was to be brought to justice. This is one of those film noir movies that shows the darker side of humanity. Its' message works very well thanks to good acting, directing, writing, and camera work.