This Gun for Hire (1942)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The acting in this movie is really good.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I can understand that in the war years of the early 40s this film would have looked pretty impressive. But I can't help wondering what it might have looked like if it had been made by another studio, maybe First National or Warner Brothers in the late 30's/early 40s ~ when these studios were not afraid to produce topical themes and play them as straight drama. As it stands, it's good entertainment with some effective moments. The brilliant opening promises more than the sum of it's overall worth. Perhaps if Graham Green had also crafted the screenplay it may have played very differently. Paramount were obviously going for popular entertainment and seem to have watered the seriousness down to the level of a crowd pleaser. The first Hour has the dramatic feel of Green, but then you gradually begin to feel outside influences creep in (along with some weak, overly obvious war propaganda) Director Frank Tuttle may have been competent, but looks like he might have been more at home with comedy. He does manage to get good performances from his two primary players, but considering this was Ladd's first real chance at the 'big time', he was obviously working very hard. For a decade following his success here, he seemed to coast along in commercial, by the numbers roles, till George Stevens gave him some challenging direction in Shane. Veronica Lake was best suited to her impressive song and trick/dance segments, but seemed a tad too comfortable in some particularly dangerous situations. A lot of the films strength lies in it's look. Highly creative Director of Photography: John Seitz, who gave such strong visual appeal to dramatic classics like: The Lost Weekend, Double Indemnity, and Sunset Boulevard, pulls out all stops to create dramatic mood, without overshadowing the story. Art and Set designs by Award winner Hans Dreier also impress. This first time pairing of Ladd and Lake obviously worked at the box office and it's far superior to their third teaming ~ the rather silly 'Blue Dahlia' --that film also heralded the first credited screenplay by Raymond Chandler --Chandler at the time, they say, was on the wagon, but had to get drunk to finish the 'Dahlia' script....and it showed.Most will still enjoy 'This Gun for Hire' but it should have been far Superior. Perhaps it may also have faired better if given an English treatment, like some of Green's other filmed stories? The wonderful b/w image on the DVD re-mastering, is nothing short of superb, a joy to behold.Another IMDb review by: Terrell-4 summed it up quite well for me....FOOTNOTE: There is more than a passing resemblance to this film, and the 'el- cheapo' "Murder By Contract" that stared Vince Edwards in '58 (best thing about that one was the Music score by Perry Botkin Jr.)

Alan Ladd stars as Philip Raven, who was hired by Willard Gates(played by Laird Cregar) to pay off two blackmailers. When they try to pull a fast one, Raven kills them both, which is just fine with Gates, except he double-crosses Raven by paying him with hot money. Now wanted by the police, he goes after Gates. Meanwhile, Gates is also wanted by the government, who enlist the aid of Nightclub singer/magician Ellen Graham(played by the sultry Veronica Lake) to ingratiate herself with Gates(who owns nightclubs) in order to gather evidence against him. She agrees, but cannot tell her fiancée, a police detective named Michael Crane(played by Robert Preston) who is after Raven, who manages to meet up with Ellen on a train, where they team up to not only take down Gates, but his traitorous employer Alvin Brewster(played by Tully Marshall).Involved story is still most entertaining and enjoyable, with a fine cast and efficient direction by Frank Tuttle. A Good old-fashioned patriotic film not made anymore, though as a cat lover, Raven isn't so bad at all!(He does redeem himself, and no cornball romance with Ellen either!)

In spite of its flaws and inconsistencies - For me, this tough, and decidedly gritty, little, 1942 Crime/Drama was something of an unexpected surprise, as it turned out to be a whole lot better than I had originally thought it would be.The overall success of this film's story relied significantly on the relative new-comer to the scene, actor Alan Ladd.For a man of such small stature as Ladd (he was only 5' 5"), he certainly managed to deliver quite a towering, multi-leveled portrayal of the Philip Raven character, a friendless, cold-blooded, professional killer with a clear soft-spot for cats and kids.Without a hitch Ladd certainly pulled off his complex part convincingly with a fine flair for understanding his character.As the story goes - Raven (who was one of the most unromantic, unglamorous, hard-boiled protagonists to ever play on screen) is double-crossed and set up for termination by his most recent client. It's only a matter of time before Raven is put out of action for good.To avenge himself Raven must track down and eliminate, with extreme prejudice, those who want him out of the picture, permanently.Intelligent, well-scripted, and quick-paced, "This Gun For Hire" was adapted for the screen from the Graham Greene novel, "A Gun For Sale".Filmed in stark b&w, this classic slice of early, Hollywood, Film Noir moves along at a nice, brisk clip with its 80 minute running time.

"This Gun For Hire" is a really good noir picture, as well as a triumph for the vertically challenged. Its stars are pint-sized Alan Ladd and tiny Veronica Lake, who try to match wits with Laird Cregar, a huge guy who looks even bigger in scenes with either one of them.You can immediately tell it's a noir film, as Ladd is seen in his hotel room with no lights on (noir hotels always seem to have power problems), and wears a trench coat in most scenes. Ladd himself runs the gamut of emotions from A to B, and is alternately rude or scowling, sometimes both in the same scene. He is a pathological hit man who vows revenge on his employer (Cregar) when he discovers he has been paid off in marked bills. He forms an alliance with Lake, who works as a singer in Cregar's night club. See storyline for more details.It is a limited role for Ladd, who does not smile or evince a shred of humanity throughout the film, except that he likes cats. Veronica Lake is something of an acquired taste but comes off well in this peculiar, offbeat picture. The set design for Nitro, the company run by Tully Marshall (Cregar's boss), looks like a set left over from the Buck Rogers serial. But "This Gun For Hire" is eminently watchable and is a compelling and absorbing entry in the noir genre.