Shield for Murder

Watch: Shield for Murder

Unrated

8/27/19541h 22m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ Thrill after thrill hits you where you feel it most! ~

Overview:

A crooked detective masterminds a robbery then fights to keep his money.

Director:

Howard W. Koch

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

police
detective
film noir
murder
bad cop
black and white

Cast

Edmond O'Brien

~ as ~

Det. Lt. Barney Nolan

Marla English

~ as ~

Patty Winters

John Agar

~ as ~

Det. Sgt. Mark Brewster

Emile Meyer

~ as ~

Capt. Gunnarson

Carolyn Jones

~ as ~

Beth, Girl at Bar

Claude Akins

~ as ~

Fat Michaels

Herbert Butterfield

~ as ~

Cabot, Reporter

Hugh Sanders

~ as ~

Packy Reed

William Schallert

~ as ~

Asst. Dist. Atty. Andy Tucker

Richard Deacon

~ as ~

The Professor

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 7 month(s) ago
7
We discover right from the outset that "Nolan" (Edmond O'Brien) is a dodgy cop, and that he has killed a bookie's runner so he can take the $25k he was carrying and use it to build a new life for him and his girlfriend 'Patty" (Marla English). Unfortunately for him, he was seen by a deaf mute and so has to think on his feet before his partner "Brewster" (John Agar) gets to the truth or before the mob, whose cash it was, decide to take their own form of retribution. He has a reputation as a bit of a shoot-first merchant so faces a considerable degree of internal suspicion and that doesn't help as his initially loyal colleague begins to smell a very big rat. Can he get away with it and make it to to his retirement bungalow? On that front, there's not so much jeopardy nor is the writing really up to much either. What does help this stand out, though, is the strong characterisation of the odious "Nolan". O'Brien almost sweats the role, effectively demonstrating his loathing of his fellow cops and of the arrogant mob as he treats them all with contempt and disdain. Even the usually underwhelming Agar is likewise quiet effective as this story quite cleverly marries the crooked cop with the crooked system and the crooked gangsters all in the hope that somebody, somewhere, might actually prove decent enough to avenge the slaughtered man. It's quite a potent little eighty minute thriller, and worth a watch.