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Act of Violence follows Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan), a former World War II POW determined to find one of his comrades, Frank Enley (Van Heflin), at all costs. The reason? It's one of those things that happened in the war that nobody understands, not even Joe or Frank; but that's one of the mysteries that this film holds on to for a while.
The film opens with Joe tracking down Frank to kill him, all while leaving us in the dark as to why. Frank seems to be a well-doing and renowned contractor in the housing business while it is evident that Joe is unhinged and dangerous. The film does a great job of just throwing us right in the middle of that crux without telling us all the details, so our allegiance tends to be with Frank. But this is something that might change as the film reveals more about Joe's reasonings.
I think that was my favorite thing about the film; how it manages to contrast and juxtapose these two characters, none of which are entirely free from blame or wrong-doing. For a 1940s film to present the complexity of those things that "happened in the war" and that we can't understand, it is quite something, and I like that the film never fully commits to any side. Neither Joe nor Frank are demonized or idolized, but are rather presented as two damaged individuals.
Ryan and Heflin are pretty solid in their roles, but I think my favorite performances were from Janet Leigh as Frank's wife, Edith, who has to handle Joe while also trying to understand the truth about her husband's past, and Mary Astor who plays a street-smart woman who stumbles upon Frank and also tries to understand what is happening and tries to help him in a different way.
But to go back to my initial point, I think the film's biggest success is how relentless it feels. Just like Joe, the film's pace rarely lets us catch our breath as we see this cat-and-mouse game unfold and these things that are impossible to understand are brought to light. Things that, just like Frank himself told his wife, we might never understand them ourselves.
Grade:
ACT OF VIOLENCE
(1948, Zinnemann)
(1948, Zinnemann)
"Edith, a lot of things happened in the war that you wouldn't understand. Why should you? I don't understand them myself."
Act of Violence follows Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan), a former World War II POW determined to find one of his comrades, Frank Enley (Van Heflin), at all costs. The reason? It's one of those things that happened in the war that nobody understands, not even Joe or Frank; but that's one of the mysteries that this film holds on to for a while.
The film opens with Joe tracking down Frank to kill him, all while leaving us in the dark as to why. Frank seems to be a well-doing and renowned contractor in the housing business while it is evident that Joe is unhinged and dangerous. The film does a great job of just throwing us right in the middle of that crux without telling us all the details, so our allegiance tends to be with Frank. But this is something that might change as the film reveals more about Joe's reasonings.
I think that was my favorite thing about the film; how it manages to contrast and juxtapose these two characters, none of which are entirely free from blame or wrong-doing. For a 1940s film to present the complexity of those things that "happened in the war" and that we can't understand, it is quite something, and I like that the film never fully commits to any side. Neither Joe nor Frank are demonized or idolized, but are rather presented as two damaged individuals.
Ryan and Heflin are pretty solid in their roles, but I think my favorite performances were from Janet Leigh as Frank's wife, Edith, who has to handle Joe while also trying to understand the truth about her husband's past, and Mary Astor who plays a street-smart woman who stumbles upon Frank and also tries to understand what is happening and tries to help him in a different way.
But to go back to my initial point, I think the film's biggest success is how relentless it feels. Just like Joe, the film's pace rarely lets us catch our breath as we see this cat-and-mouse game unfold and these things that are impossible to understand are brought to light. Things that, just like Frank himself told his wife, we might never understand them ourselves.
Grade: