Shield for Murder

Shield for Murder

27/8/1954 1h 22m 6.6/10

Overview

A crooked police detective masterminds a robbery then fights to keep the stolen money.

Director

Edmond O'Brien

Top Billed Cast

Marla English

Marla English

Patty Winters

John Agar

John Agar

Det. Sgt. Mark Brewster

Claude Akins

Claude Akins

Fat Michaels

Carolyn Jones

Carolyn Jones

Beth, Girl at Bar

Edmond O'Brien

Edmond O'Brien

Det. Lt. Barney Nolan

Emile Meyer

Emile Meyer

Capt. Gunnarson

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

11/30/2024

7/10

We discover right from the outset that "Nolan" (Edmond O'Brien) is a dodgy cop, and that he has killed a bookie's runner so he can take the $25k he was carrying and use it to build a new life for him and his girlfriend 'Patty" (Marla English). Unfortunately for him, he was seen by a deaf mute and so has to think on his feet before his partner "Brewster" (John Agar) gets to the truth or before the mob, whose cash it was, decide to take their own form of retribution. He has a reputation as a bit of a shoot-first merchant so faces a considerable degree of internal suspicion and that doesn't help as his initially loyal colleague begins to smell a very big rat. Can he get away with it and make it to to his retirement bungalow? On that front, there's not so much jeopardy nor is the writing really up to much either. What does help this stand out, though, is the strong characterisation of the odious "Nolan". O'Brien almost sweats the role, effectively demonstrating his loathing of his fellow cops and of the arrogant mob as he treats them all with contempt and disdain. Even the usually underwhelming Agar is likewise quiet effective as this story quite cleverly marries the crooked cop with the crooked system and the crooked gangsters all in the hope that somebody, somewhere, might actually prove decent enough to avenge the slaughtered man. It's quite a potent little eighty minute thriller, and worth a watch.

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