Diagonaldi Very well executed

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Curt Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Scott LeBrun Alan Ladd is one cool customer in the role that officially introduced him. He plays Raven, an underworld hit-man who's double crossed by a treasonous client, who pays him with stolen money. Taking it on the lam, he hooks up with a sultry chanteuse, Ellen Graham (the absolutely stunning Veronica Lake). She does warm up to him after a while, and tries to help him, although he's stubbornly determined to find his clients and exact some good old- fashioned revenge.Based on the novel by Graham Greene, this is a very effective and well told story. Directed with style by Frank Tuttle, it has an excellent forward momentum and gives all of the major players a real chance to shine. Hard boiled and bitter, Raven does reveal what makes him tick late in the game, and it humanizes a character who's very much the antihero at first. Ellen seizes upon this, hoping she can stir some sort of patriotism within a man with a well developed sense of selfishness. The filmmaking is first rate - the lighting, the editing, the scoring, everything.The acting is just right from this well chosen cast. Ladd is compelling in his star making performance, and it's hard to take your eyes off of Lake. Robert Preston has a less interesting role as a conventional sort of cop hero, but he makes the most of it. The sadly short lived Laird Cregar is a hoot as a sniveling weasel. Tully Marshall, Marc Lawrence, Olin Howland, Roger Imhof, Pamela Blake, and Frank Ferguson all make solid contributions.Essential viewing for any fan of the film noir genre.Eight out of 10.

elvircorhodzic THIS GUN FOR HIRE, the film from which most profited Alan Ladd. The story is actually based on a novel and is a solid thriller with elements of melodrama. The atmosphere is pretty good, acting is nothing special with the exception of Ladd. A cold-blooded killer left a pretty good impression and because of that fact this movie not to be missed.The killer of children's faces would be overblown observation. The killer who likes to do his job is more suitable description. Consistent itself or only very standoffish?This movie could go to two extremes. Being one of the best "noir" or complete failure in the melodrama. Fortunately the director s all kept within certain limits.Veronica Lake as Ellen Graham is special. The woman who found herself in the right place at the right time. Her acting expression could be a little better. Alan Ladd as Philip Raven was excellent. Performance that only has to do with the character in the film. Cold and unfeeling character for those who do not see well.The movie is exciting and easy. Nothing too good, but quite decent.

Alex da Silva Alan Ladd (Raven) is a hired killer who carries out a job but is double crossed by his peppermint-munching businessman boss Laird Cregar (Gates). Once Ladd discovers the betrayal, he is determined to get even not only with Cregar but also with the man at the top Tully Marshall (Brewster). Meanwhile, magician singer Veronica Lake (Ellen) is on a secret assignment to spy on Cregar as he has come under suspicion from the US government of selling secrets to the enemy. She is charged with getting the dirt on him. Ladd and Lake stumble across each other and an unlikely alliance is formed. Lake has a boyfriend Robert Preston (Michael) who is a police officer and who is also involved in the chase but in a separate capacity.First of all, Alan Ladd should be credited with the lead role. Robert Preston - I don't think so!! The cast are uniformly good, in fact, Lake and Ladd are above average and Cregar is excellent as always. I'm not an Alan Ladd fan but this is definitely the best role I have seen him in so far. We see that Ladd has kind traits and the film touches on the psychology behind his character and so he is a likable bad guy. And the chemistry that he has with Veronica Lake definitely works. You'll be hoping they get together romantically by the end of the film. The film is stylishly shot and Lake gets to sing a couple of entertaining songs. The film is better than I thought it would turn out to be, especially after already seeing Ladd and Lake in "The Glass Key" and "The Blue Dahlia". This film is much better than those offerings.

utgard14 When hit man Philip Raven (Alan Ladd) successfully completes a job, his sleazy employer Willard Gates (Laird Cregar) pays him with stolen marked bills. Raven sets out to get revenge but along the way meets and befriends nightclub singer Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake), who's been recruited by the government to prove Gates is working with foreign agents. She's also the girlfriend of the police lieutenant (Robert Preston) in charge of hunting down Raven.The movie that made Alan Ladd a star and the first to pair him with Veronica Lake. It's an exciting blend of film noir and WW2 espionage movies. Ladd's terrific as the killer with a soft spot for kittens and crippled kids who's stirred to do the right thing. Lake is very likable and cute. Although Ladd's not her love interest in this film, she has far more chemistry with him than bland Robert Preston. Laird Cregar is a wonderfully unsympathetic villain. He's just a slimeball through and through. Tully Marshall is fun as Cregar's boss. It's a great-looking movie with snappy and memorable dialogue, moody atmosphere, and even some nice humor here and there.