clanciai Dick Powell made his name in silly musicals in the 30s before he under Edward Dmytryk's direction suddenly turned into a hard-boiled cleaner in murky business with plenty of fisticuffs, as in "Murder, My Sweet", the first real noir. He suffered for it even then, but here he gets into constantly double trouble investigating a mess of things that all the time gets more messy and intricate, as he searches for his wife's killer after the war first rowing across to France, making visits to Marseille and Berne and ending up with the final mess in Buenos Aires at the mercy of sophisticated posh people and two very beautiful ladies, while it's impossible even for the audience to guess who, if anyone, isn't a gangster. He gets tremendous use of both his knuckles and his gun, he is after all a military officer with a record of having got shot down a number of times, but he doesn't make things easier for himself by constantly blustering in, picking quarrels, insulting everyone and making himself impossible all over society by a clinical lack of any sense of humour - only once there is a faint shadow of a smile on his lips. Walter Slezak has every right to constantly call him a stupid fool, and every time he is called by that name he adds to deserving it.But it is a very intriguing story, as usual in Edward Dmytryk's films, which makes it worth watching with interest, as you are constantly more bewildered by the confusing intrigue getting all the time more knotted up, and not until the very end it all makes sense after all. The intrigue is thickening until it bursts open with a vengeance, and then at last you can even forgive Dick Powell his irrational clumsiness. He was only married for twenty days, his wife wasn't even beautiful, and it's difficult to understand why he would commit himself with immense pains to a wild goose chase across the world just to get a revenge, which only is explained by his incorrigibly hard and impossible character. It would be interesting to see the final bill for his France-Argentina berserk trip.

PWNYCNY This movie succeeds not only because of the story, but also because of the presence of Dick Powell and Walter Slezak. Their performances are strong. Powell shows that he can play a serious role and Slezak succeeds in conveying the kind of duplicitous shadowy figure who is both engaging and untrustworthy. As for the story, it touches on social and political themes that could resonate with a contemporary audience - post war trauma, war criminals, war itself - but does not develop these themes further. Instead, the movie opts to play up interpersonal conflict as the characters work at cross purposes, thus interfering with each other and generating more distrust. In this way the movie succeeds in maintaining a high level of tension as the conflicts play out. Although not an epic, the movie is engaging, fast-paced, has lots of action and is entertaining.

Spikeopath Cornered is directed by Edward Dmytryk and adapted to screenplay by John Paxton from a story by John Wexley. It stars Dick Powell, Walter Slezak and Micheline Cheirel. Music is by Roy Webb and cinematography by Harry J. Wild.Story is set at the end of World War II and finds Powell as demobbed Canadian flier Laurence Gerard who returns to France to discover who ordered the killing of a group of French Resistance fighters, one of which was his new bride. Learning from his father-in-law that it was a Vichy collaborator named Marcel Jarnac, Gerard refuses to believe the rumour that Jarnac is dead and sets off on a trail that will lead him to Argentina where it soon becomes evident that Fascism is alive and well.From the off Powell's intense miserablist Laurence Gerard sets the tone for Dmytryk's no-nonsense picture. Mood is set at revenge bleak and spills over into a humourless detective picture with huge anti-fascist leanings. As Gerard snakes his way from France to Argentina, via Switzerland, and heavy with a black heart, he encounters a myriad of shifty characters and traverses what would become a roll call of film noir locations such as dark streets, alleys and low lighted rooms. Wedge in some murder and grim violence and Cornered clearly isn't a film for those in need of a pick me up! It's also a twisty narrative, a plot that demands the utmost attention to follow what is going on. But that attention is rewarded with a spiky script that lets the number of characters really come to life, especially Gerard, who reels off a number of cutting remarks befitting his gait. Dmytryk (Farewell My Lovely/Crossfire) and Wild (Pitfall/The Big Steal) shoot it mostly as night time set-ups, thus enforcing the murky atmosphere, and Webb's musical accompaniment carries with it a ticking time bomb effect.Powell (also Farewell My Lovely/Pitfall) and Slezak (Lifeboat/Born To Kill) shine in a cast list of mostly unknowns or stock character actors. The former broods convincingly, the latter is the epitome of sweaty untrust. But there are some fine performances in the support slots, notably from Nina Vale as slinky femme fatale in waiting, Señora Camargo, of whom little is known since her film career numbers only three. While Luther Adler (D.O.A./Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye), in the early throes of his career, menacingly strolls into the picture for the last quarter. Good stuff and recommended with confidence to film fans who enjoy some grit and blackness in their viewing diets. 8/10

MartinHafer In 1944, Dick Powell made MURDER MY SWEET. It was perhaps his greatest performance and a welcome change from his pretty-boy crooner image earlier in his career. Playing Phillip Marlow, he was tough, sarcastic and mesmerizing. So, not surprisingly, when I learned that a year later he made another gritty noir-like film (CORNERED), I had to see it. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very talky disappointment.Powell plays a Canadian pilot was had been shot down in Occupied France during the war. There, he met a woman and married . Ultimately, however, he was caught and imprisoned by the Germans and she was killed by some French informer. When the film begins, the war is over and Powell is determined to find the informer and make him pay with his life.The trail, however, is quite cold in France. But, on a lark, he learns that the man MIGHT be in Argentina and simply blunders into a pack of ex-Nazis and Nazi sympathize s like a drunk goat in an antique shop! Again and again, Powell's character comes off as just plain stupid--showing no grace or style--just punching and blindly walking into one dangerous mess after another. And, as a Hollywood film, he's able to miraculously avoid death again and again! In addition to Powell's very poorly written character, the film fails ultimately and is completely mediocre due to its very, very talky script. While there is some action, there isn't nearly enough and most of the time the film just consists of Powell talking to people and the people, naturally, lying. The script simply didn't rise to the occasion and this dark film is flat.