May 17, 2011
53. On Dangerous Ground (1952)
Starring Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Plot: "Hard, withdrawn city cop Jim Wilson roughs up one too many suspects and is sent upstate to help investigate the murder of a young girl in the winter countryside." (from IMDb)
This film was okay, but overall I am not a big fan. In its favor, it did include interesting location shooting, pioneering camera techniques, and a nice score (though the latter was sometimes a bit obtrusive). Ryan and Lupino are both good actors but I can't say I really like them... or the film. But maybe I just had false expectations. You see, going by this (which prompted me to check out the film), I was expecting it to be deep and moving. Instead, it seemed to be lacking that certain 'something'. Perhaps the depth was there but it just failed to resonate with me--for whatever reason. Still, it's an interesting film and if you like noirs about hardened cops and with tacked on endings, I would recommend giving it a view.
For a different perspective…Laura also reviewed this film several years ago.
