IMDb RATING
7.2/10
8.3K
YOUR RATING
Rough, violent city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain who sends him upstate to a snowy mountain town to help the local sheriff solve a murder case.Rough, violent city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain who sends him upstate to a snowy mountain town to help the local sheriff solve a murder case.Rough, violent city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain who sends him upstate to a snowy mountain town to help the local sheriff solve a murder case.
- Awards
- 1 win
Patricia Prest
- Julie Brent
- (as Pat Prest)
Roy Alexander
- Town Resident
- (uncredited)
Frank Arnold
- Man
- (uncredited)
Vince Barnett
- George
- (uncredited)
Leslie Bennett
- Newsboy
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Nicholas Ray
- Ida Lupino(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaA hand-held camera was used in many scenes to give a "live action" feel to those sequences. This was extremely rare in feature films of the time.
- GoofsAfter Walter Brent knocks the lamp over, starting a fire, Mary Malden brings a lantern from the kitchen and places it on the end table where the lamp had been. A few minutes later, however, when she brings the tea tray, the table is on its side and Jim Wilson hurries to right it before she trips on it.
- Quotes
Mary Malden: Tell me, how is it to be a cop?
Jim Wilson: You get so you don't trust anybody.
Mary Malden: [who is blind] You're lucky. You don't have to trust anyone. I do. I have to trust everybody.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann (1999)
Featured review
Poignant study of loneliness ,pain and redemption is a neglected masterpiece
Ignored at the time of it's release and still criminally underrated, On Dangerous Ground is a masterpiece from director Nicholas Ray, and maybe his best film {yes, better than Rebel Without A Cause}, a powerful yet poignant study of loneliness, urban alienation and finally redemption. It's both tough and tender, both thrilling and thoughtful, both sad and uplifting. In fact, the film itself is comprised of two halves, and both are simply brilliantly handled.
The first half is classic hard boiled film noir. Set almost entirely at night, Robert Ryan's policeman patrols the streets, getting so sickened by the filth he deals with that he has become dehumanised. As he deals with the gangsters ,the tramps and the thieves, the film has an almost documentary style, but it's also an extremely powerful study of a man caught in limbo, perhaps not that many stages away from Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle.
By contrast, the second half takes place mainly in daylight and forgoes the forbidding city scapes for snowy countryside. Ray gives us two terrific outdoor chase sequences, but just as striking are the beautifully written and played scenes between Ryan and the blind Ida Lupino, this tentative almost-romance between two lonely souls being so incredibly poignant. The last reel is somewhat rushed, due partially to pre-release cutting, and maybe the happy ending is un realistic. However, the final embrace has a tremendous sense of release.
Ryan superbly portrays his character's sickness and gradual melting while the gorgeous Ida Lupino has never looked more vulnerable. Bernard Herrmann's score is one of his best ever, ranging from thrilling hunt music for the chase scenes to music of almost unbearable beauty for Lupino. The score alone is a work of art ,but so is this wonderfully compact {at around 80 mins!}and excellent film.
The first half is classic hard boiled film noir. Set almost entirely at night, Robert Ryan's policeman patrols the streets, getting so sickened by the filth he deals with that he has become dehumanised. As he deals with the gangsters ,the tramps and the thieves, the film has an almost documentary style, but it's also an extremely powerful study of a man caught in limbo, perhaps not that many stages away from Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle.
By contrast, the second half takes place mainly in daylight and forgoes the forbidding city scapes for snowy countryside. Ray gives us two terrific outdoor chase sequences, but just as striking are the beautifully written and played scenes between Ryan and the blind Ida Lupino, this tentative almost-romance between two lonely souls being so incredibly poignant. The last reel is somewhat rushed, due partially to pre-release cutting, and maybe the happy ending is un realistic. However, the final embrace has a tremendous sense of release.
Ryan superbly portrays his character's sickness and gradual melting while the gorgeous Ida Lupino has never looked more vulnerable. Bernard Herrmann's score is one of his best ever, ranging from thrilling hunt music for the chase scenes to music of almost unbearable beauty for Lupino. The score alone is a work of art ,but so is this wonderfully compact {at around 80 mins!}and excellent film.
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- How long is On Dangerous Ground?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 22 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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