Cornered (1945)

Directed by Edward Dmytryk; produced by Adrian Scott

Laurence Gerard (Dick Powell), a former Royal Canadian Air Force officer, returns to France shortly after the World War. When his aeroplane was shot down, he had joined the French Resistance, and married one of its members. After Gerard was captured, his wife and fifty others were executed on the orders of a Vichy French official named Jarnac. Though the latter was officially dead, few believe it, and Gerard sets off to find him, the trail leading through France, to Switzerland and, eventually, to Argentina, where the Canadian finds himself involved in a much bigger affair, with more at stake than mere vengeance.

An interesting and involving movie, Cornered’s only real flaw is the overly-convoluted plot, which may have some viewers lost, especially in the matter of an abundance of French and Spanish names that are only imperfectly identified with their owners. This is exacerbated by some aliases being used by those involved. It is a good story, though the writers seem so intent on it that they forget some issues. For instance, Gerard is too impatient to wait for a passport to travel to France, yet he has one very shortly afterward when journeying to Argentina.

Aside from the fact that the plot line is a bit too clever for its writers’ own good, the script is satisfactory. Gerard is a hothead, too anxious to find his wife’s killer to think things through in a number of cases. He comes up against several people who are cooler and more intelligent than he, which leads to complications, especially since there is no certainty as to whose side they are on. This creates a character who is fallible and credible. It’s interesting that others in the film - both friends and enemies - rightly discern Gerard’s flaws, and comment upon them.

Other characters are believeable, too, including the conniving Incza (Walter Slezak), the untrustworthy Madame Jarnac (Micheline Cheirel) and the steady and competent Diego (Jack La Rue). Unlike many secondary characters in other films, these hold their own against the lead, thanks to the writing that creates them.

The acting is also convincing. This is only the second of Powell’s movies after he determined on a change of course for his career, leaving behind the bouncy, young-at-heart characterizations from comedies and musicals, and taking on the tough, hard-boiled rôles of private detective, man with a mission, and the like. Gerard is cynical and single-minded, not even really sympathetic in many ways. Nonetheless, the personality fits well with the story.

The supporting players give commendable performances. Mention has been made of their characters; it is the acting that makes them ambiguous in their morals and motives, the actors giving credence to the writing. That writing, incidentally, does something clever in having Gerard told that Jarnac, a man well-versed in hiding and evading, won't be anyone Gerard knows, thus saving the audience the disappointment of trying to guess the villain from among the people they have already met.

Despite some troubles with the density of the plot, Cornered is an enjoyable, two-fisted film noir that rivals many from a richly entertaining movie era.