Crossfire (1947)

Crossfire is an interesting movie for two reasons: the first one is that it is the first B movie to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture; the second one is that it is a social message film and a noir thriller at the same time. Nowadays, it's a rarely remembered movie but to be fair a certain importance should be acknowledged to it, because it is an example of how a relatively low-budget film can still be stylistically and aesthetically remarkable and also because of its attempt to treat a socially significant matter within the story of a murder mystery. That said, it's not a movie that achieves everything it sets out for itself and it's also one that has clearly suffered from the passing of the years. But its ambition is still worthy of praise and respect.

The story begins with the beating and killing of Joseph Samuels (Sam Levene) at the hands of two men in his own apartment. Samuels, a discharged soldier, was a Jew. Police captain Finlay (Robert Young) is called upon to solve the case and he suspects that the murderer might be among a group of demobilized soldiers with whom Samuels had spent the previous evening at a hotel bar. As his investigation progresses, Finlay comes to realize that the motive behind the assassination might be linked to racial prejudice. 

As a thriller, the movie is only half a success, as the murderer is pretty easy to guess right from the beginning. The lack of mystery and true tension is partly made up by Edward Dmytryk's fairly strong direction, which grants the movie a rather atmospheric quality, and J. Roy Hunt's excellent cinematography. As the film is shot using the low-key lighting style, every frame is, for the most part, covered in shadows while only a few characters/details are illuminated: the fact that the focus is always selected and everything else is dark and unidentifiable evokes a feeling of unease and underlying terror that makes the viewing experience more compelling than the story actually is. 

The film's greatest hindrance is its screenplay. First off, the plot is at times quite predictable, though Harry Gerstad's editing prevents the movie from becoming dull by presenting the events in a non-linear structure. But the biggest problem is the poor characterization of the characters, who are more stereotypes than actual people. The role of Captain Finlay is an especially paper-thin lead, a character that only serves as a plot device without actually having a life of its own, and Young's rather bland performance does not help either. Robert Mitchum's scarcely gets by thanks to his low-key charm, but he is trapped by the limitations of his generic, one-dimensional role (which the actor himself criticized). Supporting players like George Cooper as a traumatized soldier who is the prime suspect, Jacqueline White as his supportive wife, Steve Brodie as a potential accessory to the crime and Sam Levene as the victim barely make an impact due to the uninspired writing behind their characters. Only two members of the cast truly standout, and they were both deservedly Oscar nominated for their performances: the first one is Robert Ryan, whose ferocious, mesmerizing intensity trascends the one-note nature of his character; the other one is Gloria Grahame, who has the benefit of the only well-written character of the movie and makes the most out of it. Playing Ginny, a tough-talking prostitute who might or might not have an alibi for Cooper's character, Grahame effectively inhabits her brazen behavior while subtly conveying her loneliness and longing for affection. It's a small performance whose running time clocks around 8 minutes, but it's a surprisingly powerful, emotionally resonant one. 

In tackling the topic of anti-Semitism, the movie fares a little better than Gentleman's Agreement, the Oscar-winning film from the same year whose script basically revolved around sanctimonious, lifeless speeches. There are some genuinely interesting moments in which the movie depicts the casual racism so integrated into society and the irrationality of the motivations behind it. Unfortunately, towards the end the movie loses its subtlety and gives Captain Finley a needlessly expository, heavy-handed, repetitive monologue about discrimination. This speech has its heart in the right place, but it is ruined by its excessively didactic nature and Young's monotonous delivery. The message of universal acceptance and tolerance is timeless, but its presentation in this movie couldn't be more dated.  

Crossfire is not a great noir thriller, it is not a great message film and it just isn't a great movie as a whole. But in spite of its many flaws, it's still a movie that manages to engage its audience and one that tries to defy the notion that a B movie cannot be artistically and socially relevant. Is it a success? Not quite, but it's an admirable attempt.

60/100