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)