IMDb > This Gun for Hire (1942)

This Gun for Hire (1942) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 9 | slideshow)

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   2,119 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Graham Greene (novel)
Albert Maltz (writer) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for This Gun for Hire on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 May 1942 (USA) more
Tagline:
Lover without a heart...killer without a conscience! more
Plot:
Hit man Philip Raven, who's kind to children and cats, kills a blackmailer and is paid off by traitor Willard Gates in "hot" money... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
Great early Noir more (43 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Veronica Lake ... Ellen Graham
Robert Preston ... Det. Michael Crane
Laird Cregar ... Willard Gates

Alan Ladd ... Philip Raven
Tully Marshall ... Alvin Brewster
Marc Lawrence ... Tommy
Olin Howland ... Blair Fletcher (as Olin Howlin)
Roger Imhof ... Senator Burnett
Pamela Blake ... Annie
Frank Ferguson ... Albert Baker
Victor Kilian ... Drew
Patricia Farr ... Ruby
Harry Shannon ... Steve Finnerty
Charles C. Wilson ... Police Captain
Mikhail Rasumny ... Slukey
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
80 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2006) | Australia:M | Finland:S | Norway:16 (1942)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The movie's poster was as #17 of "The 25 Best Movie Posters Ever" by Premiere. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Gates discovers Graham and Raven sleeping, on the train. Raven's head is on Graham's shoulder, but the next shot after the one of Gates retracing his steps shows them separated. more
Quotes:
Ellen Graham: Why don't you go to the police?
Philip Raven: I'm my own police.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The Best of Film Noir (1999) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Now You See It, Now You Don't more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
21 out of 22 people found the following comment useful.
Great early Noir, 28 December 2004
Author: McGonigle from bean world, massachusetts

This is a great, compelling crime thriller that stands the test of time quite well. This would be one of the first movies I'd choose to show to a fan of recent movies who wants to explore classic thrillers but doesn't know where to start (along with "The Maltese Falcon" and one or two others). While many period pieces are "appreciated", this one still provides a jolt of adrenaline right from the opening scene, when Alan Ladd rips the maid's dress and slaps her. He's a bad man, no doubt about it, and his portrayal throughout most of the movie is surprisingly dark, even by today's standards. His character, Raven, is a man whose sole act of human compassion is not to murder a crippled orphan in cold blood, and Ladd's performance is underplayed just enough to make him chillingly believable.

This is a relatively early feature in the cycle that would later be called "film noir". A few films had begun to establish the new look and feel for the new generation of gangster movies, but the archetypal noirs were still a couple of years off. This movie is an interesting example of the early style because it visits the typical noir territory (culturally and emotionally) but avoids the stereotypical noir cast of characters. Rather than a flawed, weak man and a femme fatale, "This Gun For Hire" gives us a coldly amoral killer as the male lead and a tough, streetwise woman as the main "good guy" (her cop boyfriend spends most of the film running around frantically and accomplishing nothing).

Visually, this film is pure noir. It's directed by Frank Tuttle, who made the first version of "The Glass Key" in 1935, combining a hard-boiled gangster story and expressionist-influenced lighting. "This Gun For Hire" fits firmly into that mode, and shows that many of the stylistic trademarks of the supposedly "post-war" Noir style were firmly in place before the US had even been in WW2 for a full year. More importantly, it provides thrills, and a great dose of "the good stuff" in a neat, 81-minute-long package.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (43 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for This Gun for Hire (1942)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Bogie as Raven pery-1
Avaliable Online? adrianafrance
Cats (spoiler alert) tollsaver-1
Read the book m-j-mooney
Lake and Ladd - Nordic Twins Noir-It-All
Philip? Darth_Carousel53
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Out of the Past Nightmare Alley The French Connection The Fugitive The Godfather
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Film-Noir section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.