Shield for Murder (1954)

One of the best films i have seen

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The first must-see film of the year.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This is actually a very upsetting film, as the vile brutality and vicious corruption of Edmond O'Brien is difficult to associate with such a brilliant actor. It's a sinister drama of police corruption that hardly could be more dark and depressive. The fall of the protagonist into constantly deeper darkness and hopelessness of moral bankruptcy is almost unbearable. Still, there are some brighter spots. Carolyn Jones as a bar blonde at hand for comfort when the abyss gapes open is the one element of comedy in the film, and that whole spaghetti scene is paramount and the best of the film. There are some other scenes approaching it, like when he goes berserk at a public bath being both chased and chasing his own desperate destiny, and of course it can only end one way. It's one of the darkest noirs ever, but pay special attention to Emile Meyer as Captain Gunnarson. You'll never again see a cop like that. He actually runs the show and knows from the beginning the full extent of the troubles mounting and is the perfect realist to handle them. It's a great film worth watching to the end - if you can stand it.

Every character in "Shield for Murder," even minor ones, seems worn down by life. The whole film has a bleak, hopeless tone, personified by the principal character, played by Edmond O'Brien, a crooked cop who murders someone for money and then spends the rest of the film dodging both the crime boss who the money was meant for and the police who want to see justice done. The hugely ironic finale finds O'Brien being gunned down on the front lawn of his suburban dream home, which he was going to use the money to buy. The 1950s suburban American dream is not to be had for this prototypical noir protagonist (or should we say antagonist).O'Brien appeared frequently in films like this, but rarely did he play such an unapologetic bad guy. Usually his characters, if not necessarily nice guys, at least had one foot on the side of what's right and decent. This character is bad through and through, which is a bit of a misstep for the movie, since we're not at all conflicted about seeing him brought down. In so many noirs, the suspense comes from seeing essentially good men wrongfully accused, or watching them land in bad situations because of tricks of fate or wrong place wrong time dumb luck. But in this one, we just want to see O'Brien get caught, and since we're pretty sure he will be given the conventions of the time and genre, there's not much suspense in seeing it all play out.The film's biggest asset is probably the brief appearance of Carolyn Jones decked out as a bleach blonde. For the time she's on camera, her exotic face was the only thing I could look at.Grade: B+

Previously, Edmond O'Brien had made a name for himself in crime dramas like D.O.A. and 711 Ocean Drive. In those pictures, he plays a man of justice, sometimes put in compromising positions and dealing with ironic situations. This time, he is decidedly on the wrong side of the law. Mostly, the plot of Shield for Murder can be described as a good-cop-turns-bad-cop story, with O'Brien playing a crooked detective whose increasing corruption becomes more and more obvious with each additional crime he commits. Yet the drama is played fairly realistically and remains believable throughout the film's entire running time. Viewer interest is achieved by including assorted oddball characters and with a spectacular chase during the final minutes, where O'Brien is embroiled in a tense shoot-out at a men's athletic club.The supporting cast is more than adequate-- including a memorable turn by Carolyn Jones as the girl at the diner. And while the climactic ending is predictable, it's fun watching O'Brien's character get the usual what's-coming-to-him after causing so much trouble.

Detective Barney Nolan's (Edmond O'Brien) name is a by word at the local police station for corruption and brutality. As Captain Gunnerson lists the shootings linked to Barney over the years, shootings that he always had an alibi for, a call comes through that a bookie has been shot in the back, down a deserted alley - and Barney has already put himself in the clear. This is a tension filled movie with the crime and O'Brien's character established before the opening credits. O'Brien also directed and is at pains to show that once, long ago, he was a caring cop. There is a scene involving a juvenile delinquent who is brought to the station belligerent and taciturn - he is turned over to Barney and within minutes he has delved into just what makes the boy tick. With just a few sentences he has shown that he once felt he could make a difference. There are little touches like this all through the film. Barney's "I want to make a difference" cop has been corrupted by the filth around him. Carolyn Jones is a stand out in the small role of a blonde lush who picks up Barney in a bar. She is just terrific, especially her "I'll show you how to look tough" speech but Barney's demeanour throughout the scene suggests "this is why I am what I am".Barney's real girl friend is Elizabeth Taylor clone Marla English who as Patty Winters finds a job as a cigarette girl - Barney doesn't like her parading herself but as she says "How am I ever going to keep a job if you keep beating up my bosses"!!! The murder victim is also missing $25,000 and it is for Patty that Barney has stolen it. In Barney's idea of the American dream - money equates to normality, and having a perfect little wife to go with the perfect house, and his eagerness as he shows Patty around the fully furnished project home is almost sad. But... also in the back yard is a perfect hiding place for the money which is the icing on the cake!! Hot on Barney's tail is Detective Mark Brewster (John Agar) once Barney's protégé but now, as the movie draws to it's conclusion, keen to bring the rogue cop to justice.The movie definitely has it's fair share of violence - a particularly brutal scene in a night club where two men corner him and the violence in which he pistol whips them has the patrons screaming in terror. There is also a witness to the original murder - a deaf mute (David Hughes) who is keen to write down all he knows about the crime to any policeman who will listen but unfortunately the station sends Barney!!! Apart from a few preachy speeches and an obvious "gaffe" where a boon microphone shadow shows up on a white wall this is a terrific film with marvellous location shooting, including a climatic shoot out at a local swimming baths.