A film noir that flips the script (transforming into something very different in the second act), Nicholas Ray’s On Dangerous Ground (1951), written by A.I. Bezzerides (Kiss Me Deadly), follows the director’s penchant for looking at tortured, lonely individuals (think In a Lonely Place; Rebel Without a Cause), our main figure initially placed against the backdrop of a busy metropolis.
Jim Wilson (Robert Ryan) is a hardened police officer on the beat, a man who is as serious as cyanide, as lonely as the night, as cynical as, well. . . a cop. Surrounded by lowlifes, dangerous dames, and violent criminals, sadly, it is the only thing he has seen for years, twisting his spirit into a near inhuman, Guantanamo Bay-like level of hatred (physical abuse is his first step in getting answers) . . . all this has him closing in on a breakdown.
Despite warnings from his fellow officers and boss, Capt. Brawley (Ed Begley), he can’t keep his anger under control. . . eventually reprimanded for his criminal-like behaviour, he is sent as far north as you can imagine to investigate a brutal murder of a young girl. . . the unknown killer on the lam.
Entering a freezing cold, snowy, and mountainous winterland, the victim’s father, Walter Brent (Ward Bond), is like a one man posse. Though the rest of the community is also searching for this unknown assailant, it is Brent and Wilson who team up. . . and, after getting a tip, it is their respective anger that fuels them through a lengthy day long chase (through forests and fields), eventually losing him in a sparsely populated mountain surrounded area.
It is here that the pair meet Mary Malden (Ida Lupino), a woman who can be defined as being the utter opposite of the policeman. Where he believes in no one, she must put her trust in everyone, for she is blind. Bringing an unlikely calm to the always amplified individual, her calming demeanor, helpful attitude, and unexpected pleas break Wilson down, thawing his heart. But can this short respite before returning to the chase forever change this hardened man, or will the manhunt (and possible dark ending that it may bring with it) force him to return to his dark, big city life awaiting him?
A beautiful film noir (an adjective you may not use very often to describe this genre), Ray relishes taking us from wet, neon strewn streets, where it seems like every shady individual is, if not an outright criminal, either offering a payoff (a cameo from screenwriter Bezzerides), or is a manipulative dame, to a much more simple world. . . a rural community where everyone is willing to help their neighbour, and murder is a most jarring event. Transforming from film noir to romantic drama fused with thriller in the blink of an eye, though this might have become more common in modern movies (Psycho, Something Wild, From Dusk Till Dawn. . .), this was very rare for the time (and threw many critics for a loop – loving the first half, they were baffled and frustrated by the second. . . though a later lens reassessed this perspective). Adding a more sentimental element, Ray’s nuanced hand is immediately noticeable. Always driven to build complex, lonely characters, he brings two such people together, a jarring fusion much like the genre transformation it brings with it. Though there is so much visual style (on top of the neon-lit night streets and stunning on-location shooting in mountainous Colorado, Ray at times utilizes a handheld camera to capture the frenetic energy of the chase – something very rare for the time), this is really the heart of the motion picture – definitely a bit different from your prototypical film noir.
A unique and original film noir transformed, On Dangerous Ground is a worthwhile watch any time (and, of course, during Noirvember). Featuring stellar performances (Ryan at his embittered best; Lupino somehow strong yet at her most vulnerable at the same time), scrumptious visuals, and a forward thinking story (that is not at all dated), it also boasts a superlative score from the legendary Bernard Herrmann (both romantic and energetic – at times reminiscent of his later work in North by Northwest, it also highlights the talent of Virginia Majewski – who plays a baroque instrument called the viola d’amore which can be heard nearly every time Lupino’s character is seen onscreen). A final note – when Ray became ill, Lupino (who was a rare female director at this time) took over, directing the film for several days. So, wander onto dangerous ground and discover this noir gem, you may finally learn whether or not love is blind.