The Sniper (1952) 7.1
A sniper kills young brunettes as the police attempt to grapple with the psychology of the unknown assailant. Director:Edward Dmytryk |
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The Sniper (1952) 7.1
A sniper kills young brunettes as the police attempt to grapple with the psychology of the unknown assailant. Director:Edward Dmytryk |
|
0Share... |
Cast overview: | |||
Adolphe Menjou | ... |
Police Lt. Frank Kafka
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Arthur Franz | ... |
Eddie Miller
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Gerald Mohr | ... |
Police Sgt. Joe Ferris
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Marie Windsor | ... |
Jean Darr
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Frank Faylen | ... |
Police Insp. Anderson
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Richard Kiley | ... |
Dr. James G. Kent
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Mabel Paige | ... |
Landlady
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Marlo Dwyer | ... |
May Nelson
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Geraldine Carr | ... |
Checker
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Apparently rejected by women all his life, a loner with a high-power rifle starts on a trail of murder. The police are baffled by the apparently random killings until their psychologist comes up with some ideas. Written by Jeremy Perkins {J-26}
Someone previously has mentioned the value in this sort of location- driven film noir. As 60% of THE SNIPER was filmed on the 1951 streets of San Francisco, we and our descendants will benefit from these wonderful glimpses into the past. The story itself, perhaps somewhat naive as an earlier reporter comments, is intense and strangely current. Richard Wiley's psychiatrist makes a long,and not a little tedious, call for better treatment for sexual predators. Society is still unable to provide early diagnosis not to mention sufficient resources for treatment. As a film noir thriller, we are drawn into the sniper's pathetic personal pain. As a cautionary note, one might well choose to learn from the missteps of victims in this film and stay home and never take unnecessary risks such as meeting new people or expressing any public views that might set someone off on a killing spree. Fortunately we are garrulous beings for the most part and likely won't hibernate our lives away. Still, this film captures the randomness of psychotic death dealers fairly efficiently. The cast is uniformly excellent. I wonder if Adolf Menjou watched NAKED CITY and picked up a few disheveled pointers from Barry Fitzgerald. As a final note, I have to wonder why this excellent little film, like so many. has been hidden from us. Surely I'm not one of so few who love these gems?