

A man is murdered, apparently by one of a group of soldiers just out of the army. But which one? And why?
Acting
Robert Ryan's Montgomery: charming monster you can't look away from.
Direction
Dmytryk's shadows do what the Hays Code wouldn't let dialogue say.
Writing
B-picture runtime, A-picture guts. No scene wasted.

Director
Edward Dmytryk
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Crossfire was originally about homophobia in the novel — the Hays Code forced the switch to antisemitism, accidentally making a timelier film.
RKO slashed the budget to B-picture status after Dmytryk's political troubles began; he shot it in 20 days anyway and got his only Oscar nomination.