Cornered **** (1945, Dick Powell, Micheline Cheirel, Walter Slezak) – Classic Movie Review 5,252

Edward Dmytryk’s edgy, gripping 1945 RKO film noir thriller Cornered finds an ideal star in Dick Powell in a welcome re-teaming after Farewell My Lovely (1944).

Director Edward Dmytryk’s edgy, gripping 1945 RKO American film noir mystery thriller Cornered finds an ideal star in Dick Powell, who plays a former Canadian airman called Laurence Gerard, who returns to France and then goes to Buenos Aires as he doggedly tracks down the Nazis who killed his Resistance fighter wartime French wife.

John Paxton’s screenplay, based on a story by John Wexley, has the odd longueur and plot muddle, but it is otherwise very strong and sturdy and compelling. Wexley also did the adaptation and Ben Hecht had an uncredited hand in the screenplay.

And also otherwise, Dmytryk keeps his movie as taut and tense as possible. The film marks the very welcome re-teaming of Dmytryk and Powell after Farewell My Lovely (1944), with the star back on his best dour form.

Also in the cast are Micheline Cheirel, Walter Slezak, Morris Carnovsky, Nina Vale, Edgar Barrier, Jack La Rue, Luther Adler, Gregory Gaye, Steven Geray, and Ellen Corby.

The argument against Fascism is an important element of the script, reflecting the leftist idealistic political views of the film-makers. Edward Dmytryk, Adrian Scott, Morris Carnovsky and Luther Adler were all blacklisted in the 1950s.

Dmytryk was named as one of the Hollywood Ten in 1947 but in 1951 he testified to the House Un-American Activities Committee and named individuals whose careers were destroyed to rehabilitate his own career.

It is a dreadful story, however which way you look at it.

On a low budget of $500,000, it made a profit of $413,000.

Release date: December 25, 1945. It was an unusual Christmas treat.

The cast include Dick Powell as Laurence Gerard, Walter Slezak as Melchior Incza, Micheline Cheirel as Mme Madeleine Jarnac, Nina Vale as Señora Camargo, Morris Carnovsky as Manuel Santana, Edgar Barrier as DuBois, Steven Geray as Señor Tomas Camargo, Jack La Rue as Diego, Gregory Gaye as Perchon, Luther Adler as Marcel Jarnac, Ellen Corby as Maid, Byron Foulger as Hotel night clerk, Kenneth MacDonald as Incza’s henchman, and Nestor Paiva as Police official.

Cornered is directed by Edward Dmytryk, runs 102 minutes, is made and released by RKO Radio Pictures, is written by John Paxton, is shot in black and white by Harry J Wild, is produced by Adrian Scott, and is scored by Roy Webb and Paul Sawtell.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5,252

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