Act of Violence (1948)

Classic Noir. - Act of Violence review by Steve

Intelligent, ultra-suspenseful action drama which looks at the impact of WWII on the psychology of the returning combatants. This was not only a recurring theme in ’40s noir but also in the early films of Fred Zinnemann. Van Heflin comes home to the American dream; a big house, the respect of the community and a successful business. And he's married to Janet Leigh.

But Robert Ryan means to kill him because the big shot was complicit in the grotesque murder of fellow prisoners by guards in a Nazi camp. As Heflin becomes detached from the comforts of his middle class life and sinks into the squalor of the poor, he experiences that, even in peacetime, moral purity is a luxury the destitute can't afford.

Zinnemann orchestrates these complexities into a climax of thrilling suspense. Ryan and Heflin are predictably authentic but 21 year old Janet Leigh matches them and Mary Astor is memorable as the washed out lowlife who chaperones Heflin through the facts of life for the left behind.

We would now say these men are suffering from PTSD and survivors guilt and their women are the untrained, suffering therapists compelled to integrate them back into civilian life. It is foremost a thriller, but credit to Zinnemann and the writers for getting so much else up on the screen. This is one of the standout pictures of the decade.