Crossfire
Directed by Edward Dmytryk
Where to Watch Crossfire
- alexnoaholdmateMarch 7, 2026Hollywood made a few movies about anti-Semitism after the war - Best Picture-winner Gentleman's Agreement is another famous example - and they were generally good films, if a little didactic. No argument there. But it's a trifle galling how Hollywood slapped itself on the back and congratulated itself for combating "prejudice" in these films - a prejudice that everyone already KNEW was not to be tolerated in the wake of the Holocaust - but didn't dare make similar movies about the appalling prejudice towards African-Americans that they saw every single day and which was enshrined into law in 13 Southern states. They went after anti-Semitism hard, and good on em, but by then it was already a beaten horse. But the living prejudice that affected 20% of Americans, to their country's eternal shame? They didn't dare. It's also very telling that Crossfire's original story was about homophobia, not anti-Semitism, and was changed to make the film more palatable. Another prejudice they didn't have the guts to address, and would only speak about in whispers for years. History moves forward with baby steps, sure. You can't blame people for wanting to live within the conventions set by society, and not bite the hand that feeds them. Fine. But don't congratulate yourselves for your open minds and progressive attitudes when you're too cowardly to deal with what you see around you every day. Anyway, the film's good enough, even if the anti-Semite is a caricature with no depth. You root for the good guys, hate the villain, and cheer at the end. What else do you want?
Crossfire Trivia
Crossfire was released on August 15, 1947.
Crossfire was directed by Edward Dmytryk.
Crossfire has a runtime of 86m.
Crossfire was produced by Adrian Scott.
Homicide Capt. Finlay finds evidence that one or more of a group of demobilized soldiers is involved in the death of Joseph Samuels. In flashbacks, we see the night's events from different viewpoints as army Sgt. Keeley investigates on his own, trying to clear Mitchell, to whom circumstantial evidence points. Then the real, ugly motive for the killing begins to dawn on both Finlay and Keeley.
The key characters in Crossfire are Finlay (Robert Young), Peter Keeley (Robert Mitchum), Montgomery (Robert Ryan).
Crossfire is rated Not Rated.
Crossfire is a Crime, Drama, Mystery film.
Crossfire has an audience rating of 7.5 out of 10.
Crossfire had a budget of $250K.
Crossfire has made $1.3M at the box office.