This Gun For Hire on DVD (1942)

ToriLady , 20/02/2008

I’m fanatical about old black and white movies especially Film Noir types from the 40’s and this movie offering ticked all the right boxes for me.

Sure it was a little cheesy in parts, especially when Veronica Lake is doing a musical number dressed as a fisherman (‘fisherlady’?) and the ladies of the chorus are ladies dressed as mermaids but I was totally blown away by Alan Ladd’s performance as Raven – not Mr Raven I have to add, just Raven!

His character, a hired killer as you can probably guess was more complex than you usually see in films in this era. And from the opening scene where he tenderly looks after a kitten one moment, them slaps the cleaner in the kisser the next, you know t this is going to be different.

If you like Film Noir, you’ll love this! – add it to your list.

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hff from Chorley , 01/08/2008

This is the debut film of Alan Ladd who made a handful of greta films - this sitting comfortably along side the Blue Dahlia and Shane. Its hard to gauge the impact it would have in its day but leans towards realism far more than other films of the day. Alan Ladd is a sinister pyschopath who prefers cats to people, but of cause there's a good reason and the film has to show his redemption at the end. Well worth watching.

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A customer from Preston , 14/11/2008

James Mason said the following about Alan Ladd, presumably referring to their work together in the apparently disappointing film of 1953, Botany Bay: “Having been fascinated by the Alan Ladd phenomenon, I now had an opportunity to study it at close quarters. It turned out that he had the exquisite coordination and rhythm of an athlete, which made it a pleasure to watch him when he was being at all physical.”

These characteristics of Ladd are shown very clearly in This Gun for Hire, more so, I think, than in The Blue Dahlia for example.

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A customer from North of Reading , 02/12/2008

Alan Ladd seems to have a fairly blank face which allows the viewer to interpret his behaviour purely on his actions, in Shane he'e the good guy helping the ranchers, heres he's a hired killer who seeks revenge for being betrayed and yet his facial expressions hardly seem to vary between the two movies. The film is ok but lightened by too many musical numbers just to give Veronica Lake enough to do. It also shies away from showing him as a complete monster by not killing a child who could be a possible witness against him at the start and his turnaround to get a confession from the big boss at the end. Ok for its runing length but not one to linger in the mind.

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A customer from North of Reading , 02/12/2008

Alan Ladd seems to have a fairly blank face which allows the viewer to interpret his behaviour purely on his actions, in Shane he'e the good guy helping the ranchers, heres he's a hired killer who seeks revenge for being betrayed and yet his facial expressions hardly seem to vary between the two movies. The film is ok but lightened by too many musical numbers just to give Veronica Lake enough to do. It also shies away from showing him as a complete monster by not killing a child who could be a possible witness against him at the start and his turnaround to get a confession from the big boss at the end. Ok for its runing length but not one to linger in the mind.

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ToriLady , 20/02/2008

I’m fanatical about old black and white movies especially Film Noir types from the 40’s and this movie offering ticked all the right boxes for me.

Sure it was a little cheesy in parts, especially when Veronica Lake is doing a musical number dressed as a fisherman (‘fisherlady’?) and the ladies of the chorus are ladies dressed as mermaids but I was totally blown away by Alan Ladd’s performance as Raven – not Mr Raven I have to add, just Raven!

His character, a hired killer as you can probably guess was more complex than you usually see in films in this era. And from the opening scene where he tenderly looks after a kitten one moment, them slaps the cleaner in the kisser the next, you know t this is going to be different.

If you like Film Noir, you’ll love this! – add it to your list.

Read all highest rated reviews