On Dangerous Ground (1951)

My TV was still tuned to TCM from the night before, so when I hit the remote to watch the morning news, the first image I had was of what I thought was a gritty, gumshoe tale. A glimpse of Robert Ryan kept me from switching channels, and when I clicked for more info on the remote and saw the summary, and the name: Ida Lupino, there was no turning away. The most compelling parts of this film is the story's attempt (probably maintained from the novel upon which the film is based) to explain the hardness and inhumanity which can occur when you're a cop. Jaded, and now dangerous, cop Jim Wilson (Robert Ryan) doesn't have an outlet to balance the harshness of the tough, city streets he prowls everyday. Even his fellow cops point out that he needs to find a way not to take his work home with him every night. When his anger spills over one too many times, he's sent off to help on a case away from the mean streets. Where he meets, and falls in love with a blind woman (Ida Lupino). Lupino is uncredited as a director but you can see her deft touch in the scenes where she navigates domesticity as a blind woman. The second thing to become enamored with in this film is the music. Bernard Herrmann's musical themes can be heard all over this film, but especially the rural scenes which invoke North by Northwest, Psycho, and the haunting strains of Marnie. In this film, Herrmann establishes some of the themes he liberally borrows from in later projects, in particular his TV work on westerns like Have Gun Will Travel. But this film, released in 1952, was obviously influenced by his work the year before on one of my favorite films, The Day the Earth Stood Still. By the way, it's easy to imagine that the Master, Hitchcock, may have borrowed a few cinematic techniques from On Dangerous Ground director, Nicholas Ray, in the mountain chase scene. Imagine Mount Rushmore instead of the snowy, rural mountain in this film, and you'll see what I mean.

Police detective Jim Wilson (Robert Ryan) is tired of the city. He is deteriorating and starts beating up suspects. Capt. Brawley sends him upstate to investigate the murder of a young girl. He joins the father of the girl Walter Brent who only wants revenge in a manhunt. They pursue him to an isolated home and visually impaired Mary Malden (Ida Lupino). While Walter goes looking for the killer, Mary tells Jim that she lives with her brother Danny and he's been away for the last 2 days. She suspects Danny and begs Jim to take him in alive.I love the mix of noir and hard-boiled crime drama in this movie. It starts off with a urban city police drama. Then it transitions into an austere isolated thriller. I like the car drive where the landscape literally transitions. The cross current of motivations in that lonely home is intense. The wrap-up after the climax does run on too long. Director Nicholas Ray wanted a shorter darker ending but studio interference does add a clunky happy ending.

I have read some reviews about this film and how Nicholas Ray did not care for "The Happy Ending" that RKO forced upon him. This was one case where the studio was right. Jim Wilson (Robert Ryan) was a tough loner cop along the lines of "Dirty Harry" Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood), or Jack Murphy (Charles Bronson) in "Murphy's Law", who was very destructive towards others and even himself, who simply did not care about the "Constitutional Rights" of criminal suspects, and would not hesitate to beat them up (Although Miranda v Arizona did not become the Law for over a decade later). Spoilers: Wilson is sent upstate to investigate the murder of Julie Brent(Patricia Prest) It was really to to get him away from the complaints about his tactics by his boss Capt. Brawley (Ed Begley). There he meets Mary Malden (Ida Lupino) a very sweet woman who is legally blind (Although an operation can restore her sight, but she keeps putting it off because of her brother Danny (Sumner Williams), a developmentally challenged adult). Danny, who is Mary's lifeline to the world, is the killer of Julie, and he is hunted down by Wilson and Julie's father Walter (An extremely angry and obsessed Ward Bond). Danny is eventually killed in an accident, Wilson leaves and Mary will have to fend for herself. However, Wilson realizes that he needs Mary every bit as she needs him and goes back and gets her, and she will be able to get the operation she needs. The themes to this film were loneliness and blindness: Wilson is blind to things such as love and compassion, just as much as Mary is blind to things around her, and both were on the path to destruction (Wilson by harming others and (or) himself, and Mary by having no one get basic things like food and fuel (It was a snowbound area she was in)), and both were lonely in their lives, and both depended on an unsavory element to survive: Wilson with the criminals and Mary with her psychotic brother. But by bringing Mary back with him (The scene of him driving and thinking about Mary was particularly effective), they both had the opportunity to find the things they were missing in their lives. This last part is where RKO got it right: By giving Wilson the chance for redemption, Mary is able to win as well. Will it be a happily ever after ending like a fairy tale? Not at all (Mary still has to deal with the death of her brother, and Wilson still has to deal with the criminals he encounters everyday). But it is an ending where you feel good that there is hope for Jim and Mary, while not thinking it is totally unrealistic. It is a noir classic. 10/10 stars.

Jim Wilson is a tough, cynical cop, who doesn't trust anybody.This gets him in trouble a few times.Then he is sent up north to find the killer of a young girl.The girl's father, Walter Brent, wants to kill the guy.The case leads Jim to a blind woman, Mary Malden, the sister of the fugitive.On Dangerous Ground (1952) is directed by Nicholas Ray.Bernard Hermann is behind the great score.Robert Ryan is a perfect man to play Jim Wilson.Ida Lupino is marvelous as Mary Malden.Ward Bond is superb as Walter Brent.Charles Kemper is terrific as Pop Daly.Anthony Ross is great as Pete Santos.Ed Begley does excellent job as Capt. Brawley.The movie has lots of scenes that make this a film-noir classic.One is where Jim beats Bernie so that he could betray his partners.And when Jim starts roughing up a thug.It's just a fantastic scene where Jim and Walter follow the car on the icy road.This movie is not your typical film-noir.It deals with matters like loneliness.So it doesn't give you only thrills, it also touches.