Criss Cross (1949)

Steve Thompson: She’s all right, she’s just young.
Mrs. Thompson: Huh! Some ways, she knows more than Einstein.

This goes back to the roots of the classic film noir story line with its tortured leading man and femme fatale.  With Burt Lancaster and Dan Duryea in the cast I had high hopes going in and got the added benefit of an excellent performance by a young and lovely Yvonne DeCarlo.

Lancaster plays Steve Thompson, a young man who has travelled the country seeking to get over his divorce from wife Anna (De Carlo).  The fickle finger of fate has no mercy, however, and when Steve returns to town Anna makes a point of looking him up.  Steve is rehired for his old job at an armored car company and they see each other for a while.  Suddenly, Anna tires of being warned off Steve by all his friends (who think she is bad, bad news) and decides to marry gangster Slim Dundee (Duryea), again breaking Steve’s heart.

But some people can’t learn and when Anna tires of the abusive Slim, Steve is ready to take her in his arms.  When the two are caught together, Steve concocts a story that he actually was trying to get in touch with Slim about an armored car hold up.  This being noir things do not end well.  The interest is in seeing how events unfold.

I enjoyed this very much although it didn’t meet the expectations I had for more of a heist movie based on the trailer.  Most of the film is occupied with the on again, off again romance.  Lancaster is always good and De Carlo was a revelation.  I don’t know if I’ve seen her before except as Lily Munster.

There is also the thrill of recognizing an uncredited Tony Curtis as De Carlo’s dance partner in an early scene!

Trailer