why would burt lancaster allow himself to play a poor schnook who be ultimately undermine by femme fatale anna dundee and play by yvonne decarlo in criss cross . the same reason why robert mitchum allow himself to be cast a another loser who fall for femme fatale faith domergue in the 1950 noir and where danger live . perhaps they both felt it be a good way to show that they have range a actorsthat play against type and the usual tough guy role they be know for and would enhance their image a actor who could play any role . but the problem be that role like steve thompson and the pathetic love sick milquetoast in criss cross and do nothing to enhance lancaster career . not only be lancaster completely miscast in the one note role of thompson and but there something inherently unlikeable ( and may i say and pathetic ) about the film protagonist in the first place . criss cross be an interminably slow moving film . among the many unnecessary scene in the film be at the begin represent the flashback which chronicle thompson confrontation with dan duryea dundee at the nightclub . everything that occur in that initial flashback be explain later in the picture represent the illicit affair between steve and anna and steve strain relationship with martinez the cop and his bad blood with dundee . if director siodmark felt compel to begin the film with a flashback and why not keep it under three minute . i think it would have be more effective . in criss cross and it take quite awhile before the protagonist commit himself and step out of the ordinary world of act one . that the scene where he pass by and run into anna at the nightclub . and notice how siodmak spend so much time cut back and forth between anna dancing and steve staring at her . in addition to the cross cutting and he also spend a great deal of time focus on esy morale and his rhumba band than move the story along . up until the crisis of act two and the story plod along with thompson have various uneasy encounter with anna and then drown his sorrow at his usual watering hole . at the midpoint of act two and he learn that anna have run off and get marry to dundee . it become more clear at this point that one of the film central weakness be that dundee be never on screen throughout most of the second act . there be no confrontation between thompson and dundee during this time and be leave with the rather unexciting machination between the two lovebird . a it turn out ( and anna explain this later to steve ) and the reason why she leave be not only because he disappear for eight month but she also felt pressure from steve mother as well direct threat from martinez the cop who imply that he would see to it that she end up in the woman house of detention . anna go back to steve because she realize she make a big mistake with dundeeit turn out that he be beat her and she now scar of him . one of the silly refrain utter by more than one character in criss cross be that you can never hijack an armored car . but everyone act so surprise when steve point out it can be do if it an inside job . you would have think that dundee would have know about steve profession a an armored car driver and proposition him beforehand . but of course steve need to make the proposal so that dundee would not kill him after discover his affair with anna ( if theyre so afraid at get caught and why do steve and anna meet at his apartment where dundee can so easily find them . ) . i really get a kick out of finchley ( play by alan napier ) and the brain of the operation . dundee be so dumb that he have to hire this alcoholic ex professor type who plot out the heist on a map . oh there be the matter of procure the ingredient to construct the gas bomb use during the robbery and of course finchley be good at that too . the only really well do scene in the entire film be the armored car robbery . the editing be quite good a it depict the rise action of a heist go bad . a the gas bomb go off and the brutality of the gang be show in high relief when dundee murder the innocent armor car guard . the climax of the film be a drawn out a the rest of the film . why do it take so long for one of dundee goon to kidnap thompson . there that nurse and then the goon be wait outside and then he come in and pretend that he a friend and steve fall asleep and finally after he awake and the goon kidnap him . when steve finally meet up with anna at the house and we wonder how anna get her hand on the cash . do she somehow steal it from dundee after the heist when he go out to dinner . it never explain . even bad and anna suddenly become the evil femme fatale out of the blue . before and her selfishness and attraction to dundee can be explain by her perceived rejection at the hand of steve and martinez threat . but after go back to steve because she fear dundee and she inexplicably turn on him when he be most vulnerable . just a there be instant coffee and you have instant femme fatale . in film noiran encyclopedic reference to the american style by silver and ward and the author hail criss by cross a one of the most tragic and compelling of film noir . i beg to differ . in order to have tragedy you need character that have great depth and in order to be compel you need a story that plausible . criss cross have neither . it an overrated b movie that somehow have find itself in the pantheon of art house noirs . once again and the herd mentality have triumph in evaluate the picture of yesteryear .