This Gun for Hire

1942 "Lover without a heart...killer without a conscience!"
7.4| 1h21m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 24 April 1942 Released
Producted By: Paramount
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Sadistic killer-for-hire Philip Raven becomes enraged when his latest job is paid off in marked bills. Vowing to track down his double-crossing boss, nightclub executive Gates, Raven sits beside Gates' lovely new employee, Ellen, on a train out of town. Although Ellen is engaged to marry the police lieutenant who's hunting down Raven, she decides to try and set the misguided hit man straight as he hides from the cops and plots his revenge.

... View More
Stream Online

The movie is currently not available onine

Director

Producted By

Paramount

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Images

Reviews

KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?
Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece
ShangLuda Admirable film.
Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Pjtaylor-96-138044 'This Gun For Hire (1942)' is a fantastic film-noir that pulls no punches, focusing on a cold-blooded killer who's as merciless as he is efficient. The title role is played with a detached, steely verve in a brilliant starring debut by Alan Ladd. He's never on the moral high-ground, he isn't being framed or anything like that, and in fact is presented with very few redeeming factors. Aside from, that is, a brief but powerful scene detailing his traumatic childhood, which is actually almost as unconventional as having such a blatantly brutal anti-hero in a 1940s piece. Though some war-time patriotism seeps in towards the end, it doesn't betray the tone created up until that point and the exciting climax maintains that violence begets violence unless a choice is made to stop it. 8/10
dougdoepke Preston may get top-billing, but it's clearly Ladd's picture. It's Raven's (Ladd) twisty redemption from bad guy to almost good that dominates both the screenplay and the screen. Actually, most any handsome man could have played Preston's conventional cop. My guess is Paramount used his billing to buttress the then unknown Ladd. For sure, pairing Ladd with Lake was a touch of casting genius. Not only are their diminutive blond looks in sync but their styles also jibe. Thus, Raven's emotionless demeanor's a perfect fit for the famously self-doubting actor. Still, both here and in later career, Ladd's distant presence spoke much more than his acting.Five-years later and the movie would have been full-blown noir. Here, the screenplay has to blend in what appears a last minute patriotic theme. Likely the 1942 script had to make a quick adjustment to 1941's Pearl Harbor, thereby removing noir's background ambiguities. There's one really unexpected event that singles out the movie in my book, at least. It's shockingly abrupt and outside the norms of of even noir protagonists . My favorite parts are the chase scenes through LA's industrial sites, which are occasionally nightmarish, despite Tuttle's generally uninspired direction. Likely, he was hampered by an awkward script, which may be a key reason the narrative fails to build overall tension despite the many promising ingredients. Those include a deliciously effete Laird Cregar whose character is probably too flighty to furnish needed bad guy menace. At the same time, tough guy Marc Lawrence is largely wasted in a semi-comical role. Also, don't look for Lake's trademark forelock, though her natural appeal shines through anyway.Overall, the drama's a precursor of post-war noir with a cast the has proved more memorable than the movie itself.
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.
krocheav I can understand that in the war years of the early 40s this film would have looked pretty impressive. But I can't help wondering what it might have looked like if it had been made by another studio, maybe First National or Warner Brothers in the late 30's/early 40s ~ when these studios were not afraid to produce topical themes and play them as straight drama. As it stands, it's good entertainment with some effective moments. The brilliant opening promises more than the sum of it's overall worth. Perhaps if Graham Green had also crafted the screenplay it may have played very differently. Paramount were obviously going for popular entertainment and seem to have watered the seriousness down to the level of a crowd pleaser. The first Hour has the dramatic feel of Green, but then you gradually begin to feel outside influences creep in (along with some weak, overly obvious war propaganda) Director Frank Tuttle may have been competent, but looks like he might have been more at home with comedy. He does manage to get good performances from his two primary players, but considering this was Ladd's first real chance at the 'big time', he was obviously working very hard. For a decade following his success here, he seemed to coast along in commercial, by the numbers roles, till George Stevens gave him some challenging direction in Shane. Veronica Lake was best suited to her impressive song and trick/dance segments, but seemed a tad too comfortable in some particularly dangerous situations. A lot of the films strength lies in it's look. Highly creative Director of Photography: John Seitz, who gave such strong visual appeal to dramatic classics like: The Lost Weekend, Double Indemnity, and Sunset Boulevard, pulls out all stops to create dramatic mood, without overshadowing the story. Art and Set designs by Award winner Hans Dreier also impress. This first time pairing of Ladd and Lake obviously worked at the box office and it's far superior to their third teaming ~ the rather silly 'Blue Dahlia' --that film also heralded the first credited screenplay by Raymond Chandler --Chandler at the time, they say, was on the wagon, but had to get drunk to finish the 'Dahlia' script....and it showed.Most will still enjoy 'This Gun for Hire' but it should have been far Superior. Perhaps it may also have faired better if given an English treatment, like some of Green's other filmed stories? The wonderful b/w image on the DVD re-mastering, is nothing short of superb, a joy to behold.Another IMDb review by: Terrell-4 summed it up quite well for me....FOOTNOTE: There is more than a passing resemblance to this film, and the 'el- cheapo' "Murder By Contract" that stared Vince Edwards in '58 (best thing about that one was the Music score by Perry Botkin Jr.)