On Dangerous Ground (1951)
Hard, withdrawn city cop Jim Wilson roughs up one too many suspects and is sent upstate to help investigate the murder of a young girl in the winter countryside. There he meets Mary Malden, whom he finds attractive and independent. However, Mary's brother is chief suspect in the killing. And Mary herself is blind. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Ida Lupino, Nicholas Ray
Written By: Nicholas Ray, A.I. Bezzerides, Gerald Butler
Starring: Ward Bond, Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ed Begley, Charles Kemper, Cleo Moore, Anthony Ross, Sumner Williams
Country: USA
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On Dangerous Ground belongs to 24 collections
1. They Shoot Pictures 250 Quintessential Noir Films (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 38 stars)
2. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 12 stars)
3. Bernard Herrmann (composer) (collaborative: moderated by djross - 1 star)
4. Film Noir (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 56 stars)
5. Features under 91 minutes (collaborative: moderated by epiphany - 56 stars)
6. Doubling The Canon (collaborative - 13 stars)
7. List: Essential Noirs in The Rough Guide to Film Noir's Canon (public: KasperL - 10 stars)
8. Doubling The Canon (2010 update) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 5 stars)
9. They Shoot Pictures ex-Top 1,000 (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 3 stars)
10. BFI 100 key Noir films (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 8 stars)
11. Doubling the Canon (2011 update) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 1 star)
12. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)
13. List: Noir of the Week (public: KasperL - 3 stars)
14. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
15. Cinetheque (public: allegreller - 1 star)
16. Moviedrome: Mark Cousins (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 1 star)
17. Versátil Home Video (collaborative: moderated by allegreller)
18. List: TSPDT's 100 Noir Films (public: KasperL - 1 star)
19. 1,000 Noir Films: They Shot Dark Pictures, Didn't They? (collaborative: moderated by lisa- - 9 stars)
20. Women Directors (public: drh - 1 star)
21. Forrest Watch List (public: ForrestQ)
22. Western Noir (collaborative: moderated by offlineoz - 1 star)
23. Slavoj Zizeks Sight & Sound Greatest Films Entry (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA)
24. The 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time: Slant Magazine (public: TychoCelchuu - 2 stars)
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| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 3 |  |
Alex Watkins | 3 38th |
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It's a pretty good movie, but if it's noir, I'm Harvey the rabbit. The first half sets up a nice premise with Ryan as an aggressive cop with a volatile temper, and then essentially abandons the character in the second half. He abandons his aggression and becomes a caring, level-headed sort, which is fine, but it feels like his conversion is really rushed and it totally changes the tone of the movie. It's still solid, but could've been much more interesting.
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| 3 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 84 77th |
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Robert Ryan's performance is understated but really good. As the film was developing it didn't feel all that special, tough cop chases some criminals and deals with various lowlifes, then gets sent off to the wilderness. It wasn't until the very end that the contrast between the film's two halves really hit me, the first being a descent into inhumanity, and the second a return to humanity. I wish it were less disjointed but any given part is strong enough to hold its own.
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| 3 |  |
loc42 | 80 79th |
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An anti-noir as it exposes the dependency of noir on the alienation and loneliness of the urban life. What makes a film "noir" is the darkness of crime, dirt, and isolation of the city life. Once you take the camera to the natural goodness of the countryside, even though you don't have a clear sight (hence blindness), you have anti-noir, a film-blanc (snow, youth, innocence, and care) if you will. Ray's originality lies in his conscious and reflexive storytelling. Another great Ray movie.
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| 2 |  |
Nathan S | 3 45th |
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A film with almost split personalities. The first half is a pretty hardcore film noir, with Robert Ryan playing a dirty cop in a New York City that pretty much never sees the light of day. While the film doesn't completely lose its noir sensibilities in the second half, Ryan's character doesn't have the edge he did in the beginning, and there are some hammed-up themes of redemption. Even if it trips up a bit as a noir, it's still a pretty good movie though.
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| 2 |  |
KasperL | 40 20th |
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The setup, Ryan playing a rogue policeman who takes a liking to beating up suspects, is fine, even if the character revelation is a bit obvious. Things take a wrong turn to the pathetically dramatic, though, when he is transfered to a rural location and takes an interest in Lupino's blind lady. Both performances are acceptable, I guess, but definitely on the theatrical side.
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| 2 |  |
stepsideways | 89 63rd |
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"Well, the weather outside is frightful / And my blind noir dame is so insightful / No more human-garbage dog show / Let it snow let it snow let it snow."
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| 1 |  |
MartinTeller | 87 89th |
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Starts out gangbusters: hardened cops, rain-slicked streets, cheap floozies and snappy dialogue. And then it turns into a tense manhunt. And then... kind of a sappy melodrama. Noir purists may complain about the Ida Lupino segments of the film, but she's important to the redemptive arc. They weren't my favorite parts of the film, but I didn't really mind them so much. The most impressive aspect of the film is Herrmann's stellar score, which sounds much like his later work on North By Northwesst.
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| 1 |  |
ribcage | 47 21st |
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At a quick 82 minutes, I could still partially recommend it for its amazing cinematography and a strong first act in the city, but ultimately this a slight, lightweight movie that was trying to be much more. Ryan's brutal, justice by any means character is turned IN THE VERY SECOND he meets another man like himself out in the rural country and from there it's a boring slog through snow, relieved only by the always amazing Ida Lupino
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| Average Percentile 62.46% from 341 Ratings |  |