Film Review: This Gun for Hire (1942)

Multitudes of aspiring actors and actresses who arrive to Los Angeles only to spend years working menial low paid jobs or acting in humiliating bit parts waiting for the elusive “big break” that should make them stars. They may take comfort in few examples of their colleagues that went to the same ordeal and saw perseverance and patience pay off. Probably the best example is Alan Ladd, actor who spent his youth working all kinds of jobs behind and in front of camera before his triumphal introduction into Hollywood stardom with This Gun for Hire, 1942 film directed by Frank Tuttle, known as one of the early classics of film noir.

The film is based on A Gun for Sale, 1936 novel by British writer Graham Greene. Script by Albert R. Maltz and W. R. Burnett has changed plot setting from England to USA. It begins in San Francisco where Philip Raven (played by Alan Ladd), a contract killer, kills Albert Baker (played by Frank Ferguson), a chemist who has stolen important formula from his employers in orders to blackmail them. His cold professionalism is revealed when he also kills Baker’s secretary (played by Bernardene Hayes) who just happened to be at the scene. Raven has been hired by Willard Gates (played by Laird Cregar) who works for Alvin Brewster (played by Tully Marshall), elderly chemical factory owner who wanted to secretly sell poison gas to highest bidder, including Japan and other Axis powers. Gates decides to cut all loose ends by paying Raven with marked bills that should bring Raven’s arrest by police. Before that happens, Raven becomes aware of treachery and decides to exact revenge, but not before Gates leads him to his boss. The lead might be Ellen Graham (played by Veronica Lake), singer and magician who is object of Gates’ lust and whom he wants to bring to Los Angeles. Things are further complicated because Graham’s boyfriend is Lieutenant Michael Crane, LAPD detective assigned to the case.

Made shortly after Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, This Gun for Hire isn’t the “pure” film noir and can be seen as more generic thriller, with elements of spy genre and wartime propaganda. Like in many Hollywood films with such theme made during the first year of US participation in war, script tried to warn Americans about dangers of fifth column and promote patriotic values. Maltz and Burnett didn’t do it in most efficient way – subplot involving Senator Burnett (played by Roger Imhof) recruiting Graham to spy on Gates seems artificially inserted, just like Graham’s attempts to appeal to Raven’s patriotism near end of the film. Same things can be said of character of Lieutenant Crane who conveniently has romance with Graham and, in accordance to Hollywood conventions, provides happy ending by embracing her. That unnecessary subplot was, on the other hand, inherited from Greene’s novel (which also had political subtext, by having an assassination described as attempt to trigger European war that would make arms manufacturers rich).

All those flaws are more than compensated with Alan Ladd playing what could be seen as one of the best roles of his career. After years of bit parts, he was name fourth on the credits and referenced as “introduced”. But director Frank Tuttle knew that he real star on his hand and did his best to make Raven the most iconic character of the entire film. Ladd, a natural blonde, has died his hair black not only to be more in line with his character’s name, but also to look more menacing. Raven is cold, professional and ruthless in his killings, and his ability to take other peoples’ lives without second thought is so much contrast with his good film star looks, making him look like angel of death. He provided template for many future contract killers in cinema, most notably Alain Delon’s character in Melville’s Le Samourai. He also became one of the first iconic antiheros of 1940s Hollywood and film noir in general. This was achieved not only through Tuttle’s clever direction that had hidden Ladd’s short stature, but also by script that at the end of day made Raven look like a human being. Despite being a killer, Raven had few redeeming qualities, most notably his fondness for cats and occassional act of kindness towards people from the margins of society. In one powerful scene in the second half of the film her reveals his criminal career as a product of childhood traumas. In the end, Ladd manages to create sympathy for his characters, almost making audience to root for his escape from consequences of his crimes (although Hays Code censorship the time made such finale impossible).

Ladd’s performance was helped a lot by producers casting Veronica Lake. As one of the shortest actresses in Hollywood and one of the rare that looked short compared to Ladd, she was his perfect companion. But, apart from that, Ladd and Lake shared great chemistry, which, in this This Gun for Hire included playing characters that were, despite many differences, shared being at the margins of society (Raven as criminal, Graham as entertainer in sleazy night clubs). Lake, despite her character never becoming romantically attracted to Raven, very convincingly portrays woman to whom even such cold killer would feel attraction and start discovering path to redemption. Lake and Ladd worked good as couple, much better than Lake and Preston whose character was obviously second fiddle to Raven. Chemistry between those two actors was easily recognised by Paramount Pictures, which would use those actors in series of very successful films, which would make Ladd into one of the most successful stars of 1940s Hollywood. Sadly, both Ladd and Lake succumbed to alcoholism in the latter career, which would ultimately contribute to their deaths after barely passing the age of 50. Laird Cregar, character actor specialised into playing villains who intimidate with their size and who, as Gates, provides best supporting performance, suffered similar tragic fate by dying from effects of crash diet in 1944. Even the film’s director Tuttle was cursed, having his career sidetracked because of his Communist past during McCarthy era (Ladd later, as producer, rehabilitated him by hiring him as director of 1959 film Island of Lost Women).

Like many genre pieces of Classic Hollywood, This Gun for Hire is short, with dynamic use of sets and authentic locations hiding some of its flaws. Although not exactly a film noir in purest sense, it provided one of the triumphs of newly emerging genre and it can be enjoyed even by viewers who care little about film’s history.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com
Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/
Leofinance blog https://leofinance.io/@drax.leo

Unstoppable Domains: https://unstoppabledomains.com/?ref=3fc23fc42c1b417
Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax y
Bitcoin Lightning HIVE donations: https://v4v.app/v1/lnurlp/qrcode/drax
Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax
1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e

BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG
ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7

Posted using CineTV