IMDb > This Gun for Hire (1942)

This Gun for Hire (1942) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   2,120 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Frank Tuttle
Writers:
Graham Greene (novel)
Albert Maltz (writer) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for This Gun for Hire on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 May 1942 (USA) more
Genre:
Film-Noir | Crime | Thriller 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:
more
User Comments:
Digging below the surface... 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
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
80 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
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:
Los Angeles, California, USA
Company:
Paramount Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. 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:
Sen. Burnett: No mystery about me, just a hick lawyer the voters got stuck with. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man (1999) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Now You See It, Now You Don't more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
13 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
Digging below the surface..., 25 January 2001
Author: keihan (keihan@usit.net)

My first glimpse of this film was in "L.A. Confidential", where Kim Basinger, a Veronica Lake look-alike hooker (I'm totally in agreement with Russell Crowe's character when he comments that Basinger looks better than Veronica Lake), has the movie playing in the background during the train scene. Having finally watched the whole thing, I can easily see why Curtis Hansen and Brian Helgaland gave "This Gun For Hire" that respectful tip of the hat.

It is obvious that this was made during WWII from its references to the overseas menace, but I personally wouldn't let such politics get in the way of enjoying and understanding this movie. To do that, one must focus on the character of Raven (as played by Alan Ladd), a vicious, detached hitman with a soft spot for kids and cats...but no friends. He doesn't kill because it's fun for him; it's just a job. He does live by his own code, a major tenet of which is never to doublecross him. One thing that seems to sail right over people's heads is the fact that Raven is the product of an abused childhood. That such a defining bit made it to the screen (and that the abuser was female) should tell one how little audiences paid attention to such things, in spite of the fact that such were not and are still not isolated incidents.

Patriotism does not motivate Raven in the slightest, just his own self interest. The reason he eventually does what he does has more to do with Veronica Lake, probably the only friend he has ever truly had. I almost wonder if, in her, he sees the mother that he never truly had...but one can also write that one off as Freudian BS so make of it what you will. One thing that shouldn't be ignored, on the other hand, is the fact that, but for a lucky distraction, he would have plugged her to leave less of a trail. It's only when she refuses to hand him over to his enemies that their strange friendship really begins. All this makes Raven one of the most unromantic, unglamourous hard-boiled protagonists that have made it to screen.

Now, as to Ms. Lake, the thing that struck me about her was how unglamourous SHE was here. I don't mean that as an insult, mind, just that she seemed to share a characteristic with Kathrine Hepburn in that comparing her with the other sex goddesses of the time would be like comparing the moon to the sun. As is fitting with the story, she strikes one as being more motherly rather than gun moll material. Not that she can't bring the house down; her opening song-and-magic routine is one of the great all-time showstoppers. In fact, the only time I really had cause to hate her is when she gets into the arms of her cop fiancee and says "Hold me." at the end, but it's a minor complaint. Had there been a more radiant actress, the whole thing would have fallen apart. As it is, she fits perfectly.

Don't let the overt mobilization messages distract you. "This Gun For Hire" has a lot more on its mind that's still with us today.

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