The Crooked Way
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| The Crooked Way | |
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 The Crooked Way movie poster |
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| Directed by | Robert Florey |
| Produced by | Benedict Bogeaus |
| Written by | Richard H. Landau Robert Monroe (radio play No Blade Too Sharp) |
| Starring | John Payne Sonny Tufts Ellen Drew |
| Cinematography | John Alton |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | April 22 1949 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 90 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Crooked Way is a black-and-white 1949 film directed by Robert Florey. The film, considered film noir, was based on a radio play No Blade Too Sharp. The film, with a similar plot (a war hero loses his memory stateside) to another film noir Somewhere in the Night, was shot by noted cameraman John Alton.
[edit] Plot
A war hero recovering at a San Francisco hospital is suffering from amnesia. The doctors tell the silver-star recipient that the only thing they know about him is that he enlisted in Los Angeles. They speculate that maybe going back there may help him get his memory back. He goes, only to be recognised by police as a dangerous gangster named Eddie Ricardi.
Films The Crooked Way, Nobody Lives Forever, Somewhere in the Night and The Blue Dahlia, all have a familiar 1940s film noir theme. A young war hero returns from fighting a war only to find that his world back home is as dark and dangerous as the war he just left.
[edit] Cast
- John Payne as Eddie Rice aka Eddie Riccardi
- Sonny Tufts as Vince Alexander
- Ellen Drew as Nina Martin
- Rhys Williams as Lieutenant Joe Williams
- Percy Helton as Petey
- John Doucette as Sgt. Barrett
