Film Review
This dark portrayal of the seedy sado-masochistic marriage of American
politics and justice, based on a real life case from 1924, established
the young Elia Kazan as one of Hollywood's most promising directors in
the late 1940s. It was the first in a series of highly effective
realist dramas in which Kazan explored some significant social issues,
in a refreshingly direct way.
Boomerang may not quite have the
artistic brilliance and impact of some of Kazan's later films, such as
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
and
On the Waterfront (1954), but
it is a well-directed piece, has some excellent performances, and
concludes with one of cinema's most riveting courtroom sequences.
And, if that's not enough, it's also a film noir classic.
The film's producer was Louis de Rochemont, whose background in making
newsreel documentaries is reflected in many of the films he
produced. As well as
Boomerang,
he also produced the Henry Hathaway directed features
The House on 92nd Street (1945) and
13 Rue Madeleine (1947).
What these films share is a distinctive look that combines film noir
with documentary-style realism, achieved through the use of
recognisable real locations and rigorously naturalistic
performances.
What sets
Boomerang apart
from similar film noir dramas is the impression that what we are seeing
is not fiction but real life, with real characters becoming enmeshed in
an insidious web of political corruption, a deadly game of right and
might, in which the victim is not one man but the whole of society.
Try to spot the distinguished playwright Arthur Miller - he appears briefly in
the police line-up scene.
© James Travers 2008
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Next Elia Kazan film:
Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Film Synopsis
The ordered calm of a small Connecticut town is shattered when a highly
respected priest is shot dead one evening by an unknown assassin.
The local newspapers whip up a public outcry and the Reform Party
politicians who currently run City Hall fear for their jobs. The
opposing party intends to make as much political capital as they can
from the police's failure to find the killer. Under increasing
pressure, the police round up dozens of suspects and a young unemployed
man named John Waldron is charged and arrested. Under brutal
police interrogation, the suspect signs a confession and a public
hearing is hastily arranged. State Attorney Henry Harvey has the
task of prosecuting Waldron but he surprises the court by announcing
that he sees inconsistencies in the evidence against the accused
man. Outside the courtroom, Harvey's Reform Party friends
put pressure on him to secure a conviction, pointing out the
consequences for the town if the priest's killing were to go
unpunished. Can the life of one man really be worth so much
trouble?
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.