On Dangerous Ground

Released Feb 12, 1952

1 hr. 22 min.

Crime

Drama

List

90%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Jim Wilson (Robert Ryan) is New York police detective on the edge. Hardened and embittered by his years of dealing with the lowest forms of criminal the city has to offer, Wilson becomes increasingly violent with suspects. For his own good, Wilson's police captain (Ed Begley) assigns him to a murder investigation in the countryside for a change of scenery. While searching for the killer, Wilson meets the suspect's sister, Mary Malden (Ida Lupino), a blind woman who might turn his life around.

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Claire L

The level of violence for a 1951 film is surprising, this film shows the true underbelly of police violence and sleeze. Robert Ryan is a revelation making me search for more of his work. The scenes in the countryside do seem condensed, but you do not really notice it because the city scenes are so worth it. All the classic tropes of a Noir are here, the soundtrack particularly notable. I'd recommend this to any Film Noir fan.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/12/23

Full Review

andrey k

This is a unique film-noir and a good character study. It starts as a regular tale about a tough cop but soon it transitions into a more subtle 'ground' revealing the main character to be not so much a tough as a troubled cop; soon the radical change of scenery and tone of the movie skyrockets it into the grounds of cinematic poetry, as the blind woman comes into the view and poignant melodrama takes its place at the helm. With wonderful acting and beautiful score from Bernard Herrmann.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

matthew d

Tears from blind eyes. Nicholas Ray and Ida Lupino's film noir On Dangerous Ground (1951) is a fascinating portray of a policeman worn down by the depravity he must deal with on a daily basis, who must learn to love again as he aids a blind woman with a connection to the sad murder of a young girl. Ray's haunting noir direction is as riveting as you'd expect from the man who directed Rebel without a Cause so beautifully. Apparently, actress and director Ida Lupino helped finish directing On Dangerous Ground once Ray fell ill. I'm grateful for her peerless dedication to maintaining Ray's authentic direction and empathetic style. On Dangerous Ground is a classic film noir, and sadly often forgotten picture. Ray and Lupino focus on broken people healing from toxic environments or trauma. Writers A.I. Bezzerides and Gerald Butler find the heart of their complex lonely figures with plenty of social commentary about police brutality, investigative procedure, interrogation techniques, justice, kindness, and redemption. Their words are realistic and heartfelt is intricate crime drama plotting alongside tender romance drama, that all works effectively. Ida Lupino is vulnerable and subtle as Mary Malden, a blind lady living as best she can. Lupino gives Mary a sensitivity and patience that feels real. Ida Lupino is one of the greatest actresses who ever lived, and her romantically tender and incredibly sympathetic role in On Dangerous Ground lets you see why. With tears flowing freely from her blind eyes as she reflects on her loss and pain. Lupino allows you to believe her character is blind, but she sees the truth of Robert Ryan's leading man Jim Wilson. Ryan's stern cop is perfectly jaded with a heavy hand for all, except Lupino's gentle lady Mary. Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan have nice natural chemistry together. Ward Bond's furious father out for revenge is fantastic in On Dangerous Ground. He's quite intense. Charles Kemper is excellent as an honest cop trying to get by named Pop Daly. Roland Gross' editing keeps On Dangerous Ground down to a short 82 of pure empathy and perspective. Sharp cuts give you a real feel for what these characters go through. George E. Diskant's cinematography has gorgeously dark black and white shots, piercing lighting, and haunting wide shots of open icy backdrops. On Dangerous Ground looks spectacular to this day. Bernard Herrmann composed one of his finest scores full of lovely orchestral melodies that are as gentle as Ray and Lupino's vulnerable direction. Herrmann's use of soft and unusual instruments for On Dangerous Ground's compelling score makes it a particularly stimulating composition. Mel Berns' make-up looks excellent with soft looks on ladies and hardened appearance on the men. They look so worn. In all, On Dangerous Ground is a captivating film noir that few fans of the genre will find lacking. Ida Lupino's supporting actress role is so phenomenal, that she's basically the lead actress.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

deke p

3 all star cast.. Ida LUPINO as blind. Robert Ryan plays brutal policeman beating up white guys. Then ... Ward Bond. Interesting. Some thrilling scenes near the end, then very touching. Saw ontv 6.2020

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

jim b

Really poor movie, a jumble of an attempt to mix film noir and romance, with Robert Ryan as a completely unlikable city cop out to solve a murder, find the murderer that is, and Ida Lupino playing the most unconvincing blind person I have ever seen in a movie. And I LOVE Ida Lupino, that's why I watched this. (Ryan was great in The Set-Up). An EXTREMELY disappointing movie. Supposedly great insights about loneliness, but not really, just a couple of lines that are okay, and then there's this redemption that feels really forced too. A MESS of a film. And don't call this film noir - it doesn't fit the category. It's just junk.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Soaper in which the hero meets and decides to marry the blind woman within 24 hours -- enough to send all fans of Gone With the Wind to the hankie drawer.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Nicholas Ray

Director

Ida Lupino

Mary Malden

Robert Ryan

Jim Wilson

Ward Bond

Walter Brent

Charles Kemper

Pop Daly

Anthony Ross

Pete Santos

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

One of the loveliest of Nick Ray's movies.

Oct 23, 2007

Full Review

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

One of noir's most soulful and poetic expressions of hope and redemption.

Rated: A

Aug 16, 2006

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

Slant Magazine

Perched between late-'40s noir and mid-'50s crime drama, this is one of the great, forgotten works of the genre.

May 1, 2006

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Fluid and confident in the headlong way it plays, a noir thriller that immerses us in a world, presents its problems and sets out to solve them through a morality tale with a whiff of the creepy and the kinky about it.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 28, 2024

Full Review

Manny Farber

The Nation

By the time it reaches the run-down of an adolescent murderer over half the snow-covered hills of northern California, the customer is as fed up with motion as the panting actors.

Sep 15, 2021

Full Review

Alex Lei

Film Inquiry

It's a film that defies not just genre expectation, but even the expectations it sets up for itself, culminating in a devastating ending where the only comfort left is the possibility of some human connection.

Sep 24, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Jim Wilson (Robert Ryan) is New York police detective on the edge. Hardened and embittered by his years of dealing with the lowest forms of criminal the city has to offer, Wilson becomes increasingly violent with suspects. For his own good, Wilson's police captain (Ed Begley) assigns him to a murder investigation in the countryside for a change of scenery. While searching for the killer, Wilson meets the suspect's sister, Mary Malden (Ida Lupino), a blind woman who might turn his life around.

Director: Nicholas Ray
Executive Producer: Sid Rogell
Screenwriter: A. I. Bezzerides, A. I. Bezzerides, Nicholas Ray
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 1952, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2012
Sound Mix: Mono

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