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Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond, Charles Kemper, Anthony Ross ... see more see more... , Sumner Williams , Ed Begley Sr. , Ian Wolfe , Gus Schilling , Frank Ferguson , Cleo Moore , Olive Carey , Richard Irving , Pat Prest , Eddie Borden , William Challee , Jimmy Conlin , Joe Devlin , Donald Dillaway , Budd Fine , Kate Lawson , Ruth Lee , Al Murphy , Nestor Paiva , Gene Persson , Steve Roberts , Tracey Roberts , Nita Talbot , Ken Terrell , Esther Zeitlin , Frank Arnold , A.I. Bezzerides , Jim Drum , Art Dupuis , Bill Hammond , Michael Lally , W.J. O'Brien , Vera Stokes , Homer Dickenson , Joan Taylor

Robert Ryan plays Jim Wilson, a tough police detective embittered by years of dealing with low-life urban scum, in Nicholas Ray's moving film noir. After severely beating several suspects, Jim is assi... read more read more...gned to a case far from the city to find the killer of a young girl. Joining the manhunt, in snow-covered terrain, Wilson finds himself paired with the victim's father, Walter Brent (Ward Bond), who plans to shoot the killer himself. When the two men come upon a cabin occupied by Mary Malden (Ida Lupino), a blind woman who is also the killer's sister, Wilson's life is changed forever. Mary, a generous and loving person who has cared for her mentally ill brother Danny (Sumner Williams) since the death of their parents, convinces Wilson to protect Danny from Brent. Wilson also promises to get help for Danny if he surrenders to him. Inspired by Mary's courage and recognizing Brent's rage as the mirror image of his own, Wilson gains the insight to free himself from his own blindness. The film includes a memorable score by Alfred Hitchcock favorite Bernard Herrmann. ~ Steve Press, Rovi

Flixster Users

76% liked it

1,008 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

12 critics

R, 1 hr. 22 min.

Directed by: Nicholas Ray, Ida Lupino

Release Date: January 1, 1952

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DVD Release Date: July 18, 2006

Stats: 85 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (85)

  • jjnxn
    November 12, 2011
    jjnxn
    Atmospheric noir mood piece with excellent work by greats Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino with an evocative score by Bernard Hermann, reportedly his favorite of all his work.
  • kenstachnik
    February 26, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Really interesting Noir from Nicholas Ray.

    It's sort of the Dusk till Dawn of it's day. It's a picture of two distinct halves.

    The first a police film.
    The second a chase.

    It's easy to see why this film, with it's early use of hand held camera was an inspiration for the Fren... read morech new wave.

    As Godard said "Nicholas Ray is cinema"
  • mjgildea
    November 12, 2006
    mjgildea
    A great psychological noir. Completely changes tone in the middle which almost makes watching this film like a double feature.

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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
October 23, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

One of the loveliest of Nick Ray's movies. Full Review

Michael E. Grost
January 30, 2012
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television

Haunting mix of police story, romance and tale of regeneration. Full Review

Paul Brenner
July 2, 2009
Paul Brenner, Filmcritic.com

What succeeds in On Dangerous Ground is the raw emotionalism that bleeds out from the screen, unmatched in any of Ray's other films. Full Review

Steve Crum
March 2, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Nicholas Ray's classic noir starring Ryan and Lupino.

October 23, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A realistic and often gripping crime yarn. Full Review

October 23, 2007
Film4

Above par noir thriller that takes some stereotypical characters and potentially sentimental situations to fashion them into a film that thinks as well as entertains. Full Review

Nick Schager
August 16, 2006
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

One of noir's most soulful and poetic expressions of hope and redemption. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
July 20, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

[One of] a string of masterworks from Ray. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
May 1, 2006
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine

Perched between late-'40s noir and mid-'50s crime drama, this is one of the great, forgotten works of the genre. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
June 19, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Nicholas Ray's existential melodrama is considered to be a flawed noir because of its upbeat ending, but it's one of the director's most lyrical tales and is extremely well acted by Ida Lupino and Rob... Full Review

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