crossfire feel like an underdeveloped masterpiece it well act and beautifully film and but thinly write and way too short . a be and it just a decent police procedural with hint of film noir ( at it zenith in 1947 ) and social commentary ( also trendy at the time ) thrown in for good measure . it remember today a one of the first two hollywood film to deal with anti semitism and and a be much good than the similarly theme gentleman agreement ( no mean feat ) . but it real subject be the difficulty that wwii soldier and as trained killer and be have a they make the transition to civilian life . ( for a more genteel take on this topic and try the best year of our life . ) a man be beat to death in the first few frame of the film . we do not see his attacker . the movie be about the investigation of this murder and which be actually pretty straightforward and but it take some unnecessary detour and like when the main suspect and a depressed soldier and wind up in the apartment of gloria grahame and a dance hall hooker with a really weird pimp play by paul kelly . there also a civics lecture halfway through the movie that slow the proceeding to a crawl and and the end be tidy enough for a cop show . but otherwise it a pretty decent mystery . still and what a great noir it could have be . director edward dmytryk drop a few hint at the subject of the original novel homosexuality and not anti semitism like when sadistic creep monty seethes at the image of his friend mitch talk with a strange man at a bar . and the cast be excellent . robert ryan make for a very credible cretin and and even become a little sympathetic in his final scene and not unlike peter lorre a the child murderer in m. he deserve an oscar but lose to edmund gwenn that year ( you can not beat santa claus ) . robert mitchum be onhand a a soldier friend of the accused killer . be mitchum a great actor or a great star . someone else can figure that out and but his sleepy eye and bemuse half smile work very well here since they imply that his character know something everyone else doesn not . ( and he do . ) and robert young and a the detective assign to the murder and be surprisingly gritty and discard his usual avuncular affability even when he have to deliver the civil right sermon midway through the picture . there no question that bogart or tracy would have be brilliant in the role and but neither of them be at rko in 1947 so you will just have to deal with dr. welby . still and young be good enough to make you wish someone have cast him in a detective drama instead of father know best and which he hat and which drive him to alcoholism and suicide attempt . the man deserve good than smarm and sanka .