The 3 Roberts caught in a Crossfire
This film was released the same year as the much touted "Gentleman's Agreement" with Gregory Peck which also dealt with anti-semitism. But this film is the superior of the two because it features an Oscar nominated performance by the under-rated Robert Ryan as the vicious bigoted soldier. He is superb in that role but it also typecasted him almost forever as the villain you'd love to hate--a nasty, sneering bigot versus the few heroic roles that he had ("The Proud Ones", "The Wild Bunch", "The Set-Up"). The other 2 Roberts, Young & Mitchum, are also good but they're outclassed by Ryan's vicious Montgomery. Though the original victim of the hate crime was homosexual this doesn't change the theme of the film which is how intolerance can become like a loaded gun. Edward Dmytryk would never direct a film with this so much power again since he and writer, Adrian Scott, would be black-listed and imprisoned. Outside of the landmark Western, "Warlock", the director's authority and drive would be diminished by lesser features though he did direct "The Caine Mutiny" and "Broken Lance".

Crossfire
Gripping, intricate thriller is top-grade noir, with solid performances all around, particularly from Ryan and Young. The film's as biting a condemnation of anti-semitism as the better-known "Gentleman's Agreement", released the same year. Assured, atmospheric direction from Edward Dmytryk makes this an unheralded classic.

"Hate is like a loaded gun."
Crossfire remains one of the best Hollywood message movies because, unlike the admirably intentioned Gentleman's Agreement, which it beat to theatres by a few months, it chooses to send its message via the form an excellent noir thriller rather than have an outraged star constantly saying "It's because I'm Jewish, isn't it?" It's much easier to get the message that hate is like a loaded gun across when the dead bodies are actual rather than metaphorical. Somewhat shamefully, the brief featurette on the Warners' DVD doesn't mention that novelist Richard Brooks disowned the film over the shift from a homophobic murder to an anti-Semitic one, but it's interesting to note that while the victim is killed primarily because he is Jewish, there's little doubt in Sam Levene's performance that the character is in fact also gay - not a mincing caricature, but there's definitely a two lost souls aspect to his scenes with George Cooper's confused soldier. There's not much of a mystery to who the murderer is: even though the killing is carried out in classic noir shadows, the body language of the killer is instantly recognisable, but then the film has its characters drift to the same conclusion before the halfway point: the tension comes from proving it and saving the fall guy.

There's an element of Ealing Films to the gang of soldiers teaming together to get their buddy out of a fix (you could almost see that aspect as a blueprint for Hue and Cry), but the atmosphere is pure RKO noir. Set over one long sweltering night, the film has a great look filled with deep dark blacks and shadows born as much out of economy as style (it cut back on lighting time and allowed director Edward Dmytryk more time to work with the actors) and the excellent cast make the most of the fine script: a laid-back but quietly charismatic Robert Mitchum, Robert Young's Maigret-like detective, Gloria Grahame's tramp and the perpetually creepy Paul Kelly as her compulsive liar admirer, a guy who tries on stories the way other people try on ties. But the lasting impression is of Robert Ryan's excellent performance as a guy who could do with a good leaving alone as he does his best to help the wrongly accused man all the way to death row. A big surprise hit in 1946, as a reward, Dmytryk and producer Adrian Scott found themselves investigated by the HUAC, which itself had a notable tendency to target Jews. So much for crusading...

Warners' DVD boasts a good transfer despite some print damage at one point, a brief retrospective featurette on the film and an audio commentary by Alain Silver and James Ursini that (like the featurette) includes excerpts from an interview with Edward Dmytryk.

Crossfire
I was a little disappointed in this film considering the caliber of the actors. I felt the story line was not compelling.

A brilliant movie - well ahead of its time.
This film will surprise you, and make you say "darn, why haven't I heard of this film before." You look at the cover and expect a powerful screen stealing performance from Robert Mitchum, but what you get is a good murder mystery film attacking bigotry and hatred. Robert Young - playing the effective police detective - turns in as fine of a performance as you could ask for. Robert Mitchum does well, but he isn't the movie. Instead, the movie is a sum of all its characters, founded in its message in post-war America. Before it was fashionable to go after the mongers of hate, RKO bravely put out a film that did just that. The film keeps you guessing about who the murderer is for most of its length. And the dialogue is well written. For example, Robert Young as the detective explains to Robert Mitchum why it took him so long to figure out who the murderer was. He goes on to say that he was looking for folks with all the obvious motives to kill, but that, when he looked past that, the murderer's identity become obvious. I definitely recommend this movie.