Wiretapper, directed by Dick Ross, is notable only for its explicitly Christian story which culminates in a lengthy, heavy-handed sermon expostulating the evils of sin and extolling the glory of repentance by none other than Billy Graham, America’s leading religious figure of the 20th century. The religious themes are evident to an observant viewer from the opening credits, with its angelic chorus and a production company called Great Commission Films, but otherwise the overt Christian plot point doesn’t arrive until near the end of the film. Based on the true story of war veteran Jim Vaus, the acting is mediocre at best, but Bill Williams, who starred in the more well-known
Deadline at Dawn (1946), effectively portrays Vaus, whose handy electrical skills get him work with a gang of criminals, much to the chagrin of his loving wife Alice (Georgia Lee), whom he all but abandons to raise their newborn baby on her own. While Jim is morally conflicted throughout, nothing, not even murder, can set him on the straight path until an unexpected visit with Reverend Graham. Despite the religious resurgence in American society during the postwar years, no other noir relishes in Christian morality quite so plainly.
