Gig Young

Lynne Roberts

Mary Anderson

Willard Parker

Carla Balenda

Gerald Mohr

James Anderson

John Kellogg

Harry Shannon

Cleo Moore

Christy Palmer

Iris Adrian

Vince Barnett

Michael Barrett

Al Bridge

John Butler

Frank Cady

Robert Cavendish

Jack Chefe

Charles J. Conrad

Luther Crockett

Edgar Dearing

Jack Deery

Don Dillaway

Dick Elliott

William Forrest

Paul Frees

Jack Gargan

William Haade

John Hedloe

Al Hill

Dick Johnstone

Bert Kennedy

Colin Kenny

Mira McKinney

Howard M. Mitchell

Ralph Montgomery

Lee Phelps

James Seay

Sam Simone

Charles Sullivan

Hal Taggart

Ken Terrell

Arthur Tovey

Herb Vigran

Ray Walker

George Archainbaud

DeVallon Scott

Lewis J. Rachmil

Paul Sawtell

Nicholas Musuraca

Samuel E. Beetley

Mystery

Crime

Hunt the Man Down

RKO Radio Pictures

United States of America

He's right. I've drunk better alcohol out of compasses. 

Hunt the Man Down is directed by George Archainbaud and written by DeVallon Scott. It stars Gig Young, Lynne Roberts, Mary Anderson, Harry Shannon, James Anderson, Willard Parker, Carla Balenda and Gerald Mohr. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography is by Nicholas Musuraca.

Plot finds Young as a hard-working public defender who seeks to clear the name of an alleged murderer (Anderson) who has been on the run for 12 years and who is only caught when he plays hero during a robbery attempt at the diner he has been working at.  

Economical for sure, but this is a tight noirish legal thriller that is well written, tidily performed and has the skills of Musuraca for noir photographic shadings that belies the film's obvious low budget. Story is interesting because the accused is adamant he was framed all those years ago, and when we see his story in flashback we understand just why Young's lawyer is so determined to crack the case. So roping in his ex policeman father (Shannon excellent), who lost an arm in service, the scene is set for trying to track down witnesses and hopefully prove the client's innocence. 

The pic then shifts into noir gear, cynicism hangs heavy as the one time group of young upwardly mobile socialite witnesses are now either dead, damaged by fate or have mental health problems. The American Dream has not surfaced for these people, and with a couple of nifty twists for resolution purpose, pic - while not a hidden gem or anything like that - is worth tracking down by fans of noir like crime programmers. 7/10 
 







The suspect in a 12-year-old murder case is finally caught and tried, but the witnesses are a bit hard to track down...

English