On Dangerous Ground

Film noir moves to the mountains in Nicholas Ray’s On Dangerous Ground, the tale of one cop’s conversion from bitter crusader to compassionate protector. Robert Ryan plays officer Jim Wilson, a cold, ruthless lawman with a reputation for using excessive violence to extract information and confessions, a loner who lives in a tiny, drab apartment in a gray, indifferent city using the little power he has to vent his frustration (“Why do you make me do it? I’m always gonna make you punks talk!”). When Captain Brawley (Ed Begley) sends him upstate to cool off, Joe’s suddenly playing a different role: teaming up with the vengeful, bloodthirsty father (Ward Bond) of a young, murdered girl to track down her killer. To rein in the father’s rage, Joe feels the need to remain calm and sensible, especially after meeting local, blind woman Mary Malden (Ida Lupino) whose mentally ill brother is the primary suspect. Welcomed into her fireplace-lit home, Joe becomes protective of her and, by extension, the younger brother she loves, but his mission is to exact justice all the same. Legendary composer Bernard Herrmann’s score coats the proceedings with dramatic tension, especially the woodwinds-intensive sequence during the chase in the snow, and Diskant’s camera captures the endless snowy vistas to reinforce just how far away we are from Gotham. Despite its gritty opening scenes in the concrete jungle, On Dangerous Ground takes a decidedly melodramatic turn that may not please every noir fan, but with Ryan and Lupino on full display, it’s undeniably essential viewing.