Criss Cross

Straightforward but very well executed noir. Even during the flashback part I was riveted.

Pure, classic film noir. A fatalistic tone, evocative high-contrast photography, tight script, good use of locations, and a gal who you're not sure is good or bad. Burt Lancaster is wonderful, here playing an average joe as opposed to his usual role as the man in control. I don't really care much for Dan Duryea, though. I always imagine Richard Widmark doing a better job in his parts. But he's really the only weak part of this otherwise excellent example of the genre.

Lancaster's performance is the only notable element to it. He almost makes a terribly passive and unsympathetic character "interesting."

I know, I know, the banal fatalism of the payroll heist is old news. Still, this is the only Dan Duryea movie I've seen where he doesn't bitch-slap the femme fatale (here played by the future Lily Munster) (though she does have Duryea-inflicted contusions on her back). If I read this flick correctly, lust and jealousy are the two most powerful motivating forces in the world: I won't argue, even despite the pat tragic ending.

Really good noir with standout performances, camera angles and a great script. Recommended.

Solid noir. Yvonne De Carlo owes a lot to the photographer for making her skin and outfits look amazing. The plot is fairly standard plus a flashback. I could hang out at that restaurant with the stairway all day. Fav scene: I was really surprised by the ending, but the sirens coming on cheapens it a bit. Guess we can't have a bad guy get away.

Lust! Fate! Longing! Money! Betrayal! Danger! Doom! What more can you possibly want in a noir? Watch also for some great shots that draw no attention to themselves, such as a classic of YdC at the window. You can see how a woman like that can ruin a good man. But she also ruins a bad man -- now that's a femme fatale!

Slightly above average noir, Criss Cross incorporates a gripping opening, ending, a heist and hospital sequence. But the rest of the film is gibberish to a fault. It attempts to be a tragic story of an ill-omened man, but with each new detail added, the film becomes less convincing as a whole. Having said that, as an admirer of film noir genre, I still enjoyed Criss Cross warts and all.

This is a very entertaining picture. I did the Leo point at the TV from OUATIH when Tony Curtis appeared on screen in the bar dancing scene. He was uncredited in this role in his first ever role at 24 but he is so distinctive looking that I knew it had to be him. I checked IMDb and I was right. The more I see of Burt Lancaster the more I love him as an actor.

Taut noir with some atmospheric camerawork.

Cracking, taut heist noir from Siodmak. This is nothing new, especially for the time, but it's pure, distilled noir that doesn't have many missteps. It feels slightly paint by numbersy, but it's a very good paint by numbers noir.

What a sucker! Burt Lancaster was brilliant at it! Believable stubbornness when it comes to a dame. And Yvonne De Carlo was such dame. He creates his own downfall by this obsession and Robert Siodmak directs it excellently with each shot setting something up. Full of attitude!

A nice, fast noir that seems to build on the earlier The Killers (1946), with a strong location (a very early LA) and a pretty good heist sequence. I never quite bought that Steve and Anna would have gotten together in the first place, so it was a little tough to follow the story as he puppy-dog trails her throughout. Some minor faults, but still enjoyable.

Twist-laden noir of money heist gone wrong, with dizzying camerawork, fascinating flashback usage, and nifty music.

The script is a bit hokey to me. Burt Lancaster goes hard selling it though. Thoroughly competent noir otherwise.

Similar to the Killers but more frantic and less dialogue-driven. A solid noir.

Found myself distracted by the fullscreen face shots flipping back and forth as two people talked.

This is what I call "A Real Film-Noir".

The heist sequence in this is one of my favorites. The film almost feels like its spinning its wheels until the heist takes place, at which point it becomes a much better film. Great performance from Burt Lancaster.

Classic noir!

Very well done noir - and one of the few featuring Burt Lancaster. If you liked this one, you'll love "Sweet Smell of Success"

Very atmospheric typical noir with Lancaster as the dope who's romantically obsessed with his pretty ex, who is now the girl of an gangster. Highlight is the heist on an armored money-truck involving smoke grenades and gas-masks. Weakest point is Dan Duryea, who's isn't intimidating as the gangster.

There's an unusual breadth to Siodmak's California noir, painting LA as a sundrenched land where every house holds a slew of unfulfilled dreams and every bar door hides a million disappointments. Lancaster's the perfect man to take us through it, his wounded eyes and chiselled jaw making him the paragon of blue-collar schmos, but the film itself takes him on a road that feels slightly manipulated, particularly the final scene - the endgame doesn't feel like it matches what came before.

Exciting noir/caper film features one of Lancaster's best and lively early performances, with De Carlo a perfect femme fatale. Siodmark directs with flair and style when necessary (love that beautifully atmospheric opening shot) but isn't afraid to dial down when needed. At its best from the heist scene on, when it turns into a genuine nail-biter.

This was pretty good. Lancaster is good as a romantic who dangerously tangles with gangsters in order to win back De Carlo. As the name suggests there is some criss crossing involved, but I think the crowning achievement of this noir was the ending that many films of the time period would go nowhere near.

Generally good, occasionally great. Sadly, I agree that the ending feels too contrived.

"Another, 'Who let Fritz Lang onto the set?'" http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2015/08/episode-69-unedited-itbs-commentary.html