Act of Violence (1949)

ACT OF VIOLENCE  (1949)  ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢
    D: Fred Zinnemann
    Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh,
    Mary Astor, Phyllis Thaxter, Berry Kroeger
Van Heflin plays a World War Two vet who's living the American dream, with a successful business, a nice house and car, and a pretty young wife played by Janet Leigh. He's also got a secret going back to his time as a POW in Germany, and an old Army buddy (Robert Ryan) has been tracking him down, determined to kill him. This is film noir territory - at least that's where it ends up - with enough guilt and despair to give anybody a case of the black-dog blues, plus Mary Astor in fatalistic support as a woman with street connections who's seen it all and then some. Zinnemann's direction is crisp and efficient, and the climax, at night on a railroad platform, plays like a distorted twist on "High Noon".