Robert Parrish, who first attained fame as a
child actor (most notably with City
Lights), and then as an editor, made his directorial debut with Cry Danger, a low-budget crime thriller
with noirish overtones. Shot in only twenty-two days and set in the city of Los
Angeles, the breezily paced film is about a wrongly accused man, freshly out of
prison after serving 5 years for a crime he never committed, seeking to get
even with whoever who framed him. Rocky Mulloy (Dick Powell), had been
sentenced for life for robbery and murder, but he gets released for the
serendipitous witness corroborating his alibi. On one hand he makes it his
agenda to go after Castro (William Conrad), a shrewd bookie and dangerous
gangster who, he assumes, was responsible for taking the fall; on the other, he
reconnects with the beautiful, alluring and enigmatic Nancy (Rhonda Fleming),
his former girlfriend he still carries a flame for even though she is now
married to his best friend who is in prison. Meanwhile the police too is
keeping an eye on his whereabouts, and he starts using that to his advantage
while dealing with the dangers posed by Castro. The script abounded in witty
one-liners, cynical retorts and fatalistic overtures, and the bleak climax was
expertly handled, thus accentuating the kind of moodiness and the themes of
betrayal and urban loneliness that pervaded the proceedings. Powell gave a
sharp and subtly affecting turn as a laconic man in a single minded pursuit to
avenge the loss of 5 of the best years of his life.
Director: Robert Parrish
Genre: Thriller/Crime Thriller/Film Noir
Language: English
Country: US
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