Canadian WW II pilot Gerard (Dick Powell)
intends to track down and kill collaborationist Marcel Jarne, the man
responsible for the wartime death of Gerard's French wife. The trouble
is, Jarne has never been effectively identified by the authorities --
and in fact could be just about anyone whom Gerard meets. Following the
trail of evidence to Buenos Aires, Gerard's strongarm methods run afoul
not only of the Argentine authorities, but also of a pro-French
underground movement which also wants to bring the villain to justice.
Weaselly Incza (Walter Slezak) plays all sides down the middle until he too is ruthlessly rubbed out by the bad guy. From start to finish, Cornered
is a superb thriller, directed with graphic ingenuity and economy --
and with a dash of endearingly naïve left-leaning politicizing. (With Edward Dmytryk
as director, how could it be otherwise?) Avoid at all costs the
computer-colored version of this beautifully photographed
black-and-white film.
