Watch Shield for Murder For Free

One of my all time favorites.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

A sterling example of Rogue Cop noir. It's dirty, cheap and nasty - just how I like my noirs! Edmond O'Brien stars and co-directs (with Producer Howard W. Kotch). It has a grimy atmosphere right from the get go. The acting is solid all around, if not exactly nuanced.That lack of subtlety hurts only in the sense that you find it hard to believe that O'Brien's Barney would have the confidence of his fellow law enforcement personnel including his buddy (John Agar; solid), not to mention romancing a dishy dame (Marla English - 20 years his junior at the time). The pacing of the film also lags a bit behind the beats of the storyline. It picks up at the very end, but you do feel that the Direction holds the film back from being truly exceptional. And, English is very much relegated to a passive stereotypical "girl" here (Carolyn Jones' excellent one scene performance has more going on in five minutes than English gets as the female lead).It's still a very, very good noir with more than enough to recommend, even if it just misses being a top rank genre entry.

Previously, Edmond O'Brien had made a name for himself in crime dramas like D.O.A. and 711 Ocean Drive. In those pictures, he plays a man of justice, sometimes put in compromising positions and dealing with ironic situations. This time, he is decidedly on the wrong side of the law. Mostly, the plot of Shield for Murder can be described as a good-cop-turns-bad-cop story, with O'Brien playing a crooked detective whose increasing corruption becomes more and more obvious with each additional crime he commits. Yet the drama is played fairly realistically and remains believable throughout the film's entire running time. Viewer interest is achieved by including assorted oddball characters and with a spectacular chase during the final minutes, where O'Brien is embroiled in a tense shoot-out at a men's athletic club.The supporting cast is more than adequate-- including a memorable turn by Carolyn Jones as the girl at the diner. And while the climactic ending is predictable, it's fun watching O'Brien's character get the usual what's-coming-to-him after causing so much trouble.

Less than one minute into the opening scene, a large shadow outline of the "boom mic" can clearly be seen in the background. The fact that director Howard W. Koch and editor John F. Schreyer decided to leave in this blatant gaffe, and the platinum beauty of a very hungry Carolyn Jones, ten years before Morticia Addams, were the two most interesting aspects of this film for me.Gritty crime drama's from the classic 'Noir' era (1941-1958) have been elevated to revered status. Rightly so in most cases. This would not be one. However, since exceptions prove the rule... Shield for Murder serves a useful purpose, I suppose.

I cannot say that this is one of the better films noir, but it's a good example of the way this kind of film was drifting in the early fifties: away from the studios; toward independent production; more cars, fewer subways; a vaguely documentary air, ala Jack Webb, rather than the more elegant stylization we associate with the forties; more outdoor scenes, fewer cramped rooms; and overall a movement away from the Gothic and toward a more contemporary, which is to say paranoid mood. Having said this, it ain't a bad picture. Edmond O'Brien (who also had a hand behind the camera) plays a basically decent and fair cop who gives in to temptation and steals some money from a bad guy. He pays dearly for his transgression. O'Brien is edgier and tougher than usual; the rest of the cast is okay. This is an extremely watchable film. It involves you more than most police thrillers. I enjoyed it thoroughly.