spoiler spoiler there must have be something in the air in the immediate postwar year that make night city attractive setting for movie . a gaggle of nocturnal and urban film be make at that time and and not just in america . one of the most notable be carol reed odd man out and an english picture about a wounded gunman stagger through the street of belfast . in america it be the high noon and or more properly and high midnight and of film noir . crossfire isn not really film noir and but have the trapping of noir and though it use them for it own aim and which have to do with bigotry . direct by edward dmytryk and write by john paxton and it be adapt from a novel by richard brook . the book concern the murder of a homosexual while in the movie the victim be change to a jew . though film like a mystery there be little suspense in the film and a it be fairly obvious who the murderer be early on . what make the film so watchable and beautiful be it evocation of a city and washington and d. c. and just after world war ii and by some of the most gifted craftsman work in film at that time . unlike many night movie crossfire be set mostly indoors represent in police station and room house and all night movie theater . soldier be everywhere in the film and and most be itch to get back to their civilian life . yet one sens and from most of the men we meet and that their personality have be so shape by their military experience it go to be tough for them to return to their old neighborhood while for some maybe even impossible . they seem more bound to one another than to anything or anyone else . yet some men never truly bond with anyone in the military . the murderer and monty and be one such individual . one sense that he be never connect in his civilian life and either . he be a lone wolf who also need people . desperately alone and he have a sadistic streak a mile wide and and always need someone nearby to be the butt of his joke . the man he kill do him no harm and and be in fact a stranger to him . but once monty figure out the man religion and that be enough . he do not really mean to kill the guy and a it be his intent to amerely humiliate him and just beat him up . but a he be quite drunk at the time and monty fist get the good of him . it be this act that set the story the story in motion . once the movie build up a head of steam the other character come rapidly into focus . monty opposite number be keely and another soldier and who and though introspective like monty and and somewhat detached and harbor no resentment toward anyone and seem a reasonable and even amiable guy . finley and the pipe smoking homicide detective and be dandyish and a tad effete compare to the men in uniform and but prove more than a match for the various and mostly recalcitrant soldier he deal with . the actor who play these role and robert ryan and mitchum and young and give excellent performance and each in a different key . ryan and a monty and be tense and paranoid and always look around for someone to pick on while and one can feel his anxiety over become a victim himself . a keely and mitchum be low key and almost nonchalant while he never raise his voice while and he seem to have more to say and more to offer and than be permit by the script . young performance have often be criticize a be too soft and but i find it deceptively strong and nicely offbeat . he cut against the stereotype of the hardboiled cop and and make the character of finley a bit of a prince of crime detection . there be few surprise in crossfire and though the script be at time surprisingly well write and even brilliant . character actor paul kelly give one of the best short performance in the movie a the boyfriend of a woman a soldier pick up in a bar . kelly may or may not be her husband while and he may or may not live with her and though he seem relaxed enough in her apartment . the beauty of these scene be that nothing be make clear and and this man himself seem more than a little confused over what his role be and be or ought to be . in a way these few scene form the thematic core of the film and which be anomie . with the exception of the detective all the men in the film be drift and aimless and basically lose and some more seriously than others . in this respect crossfire be and for all the preaching near the end and a film about the vagueness of identity and and how easily it can be lose or warp . men drift from one bar to another in this film and a they engage in a sort of woozy camaraderie and their personality merge into a kind of general american male template . then something happens and something be nail down . a word be mention and whether jew or hillbilly and and thing suddenly turn tense and and the very notion of individuality and of an identity outside the group and of anyone not like them and become deeply offensive and even loathsome . then and after temper flare and whatever stir them up have be resolve or forget and the men revert to their loose and non personal group normality and and order be restore .