This Gun for Hire (1942)

Michael Crane: "She's blazing a trail for us!"

By Frank Tuttle
With Veronica Lake, Robert Preston and Alan Ladd

This movie was recommended to me by IMDb as a similar to my tastes and seeing its page it seemed obvious that I would enjoy it. I was intrigued to see Alan Ladd's first role. I don't really know him for his movies but I know he is the grandfather of Jordan Ladd (Death Proof (2007))

In this film, Philip Raven is a cold-blooded professional killer and he has no issues "dealing with it" when the person he has to kill was supposed to be alone but is in fact with female company. Where Philip Raven starts having issues is when he realizes his employer actually double-crossed him by paying him in hot, marked dollar bills that will lead the police straight to him. Police officer Michael Crane starts seeking Raven, while Raven seeks out Willard Gates, the man who double-crossed him. All of this leads him to meet Ellen Graham, a performing magician who just started a new job for Willard Gates, and is the bride to be of police officer Michael Crane. She ends up in the seat next to Philip Raven's in the train to Los Angeles and ends up being pivotal to the chase.

This movie reminded me of a few other movies from this era. The depiction of the killer reminded me of Kiss of Death (1947) and the pursuit reminded me of both The Naked City (1948) and High Sierra (1941). These are all movies I enjoyed so the comparison was nice, though I felt This Gun for Hire was one step below the others. I didn't feel the tension rise as much as I did in the others.

I liked however the psychology in this movie, the character of Philip Raven ends up being more than just a runaway and we learn about his motivations. Ellen Graham appears double-sided which Veronica Lake portrays very skillfully. Some of the best shots in the movie are during the hideout at the factory with those tall dark chimneys threatening the freedom of the killer we end up rooting for.

The whole plot about chemical weapons eluded me and I am not sure it had a real impact on the movie. I thought maybe it was simply here as an effort to put the movie more in line with its time, the potential involvement of the USA in World War II and so on. The rest of the movie is pretty simple and straightforward.

I liked: Good pursuit and tension on the run. Interesting pivotal role of the woman leading by accident.

I disliked: Not particularly strong in the classical aspects of film-noir for example mystery, investigation or confidences.

71/100
A staple film-noir in its own right, it has however not much to distinguish itself from others. Possibly recommended for those who enjoyed The Naked City (1948).