Though billed fourth in This Gun For Hire, Alan Ladd was catapulted to stardom in the role of Phillip Raven, a ruthless professional killer with a long-suppressed streak of decency. After successfully pulling off his latest murder, Raven reports to his boss, effeminate fifth columnist Willard Gates (Laird Cregar). He collects his $1000 fee, only to discover later that Gates has double-crossed him with marked bills. This was done at the behest of Gates' boss, crooked business executive Alvin Bewster (Tully Marshall), who ...
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Though billed fourth in This Gun For Hire, Alan Ladd was catapulted to stardom in the role of Phillip Raven, a ruthless professional killer with a long-suppressed streak of decency. After successfully pulling off his latest murder, Raven reports to his boss, effeminate fifth columnist Willard Gates (Laird Cregar). He collects his $1000 fee, only to discover later that Gates has double-crossed him with marked bills. This was done at the behest of Gates' boss, crooked business executive Alvin Bewster (Tully Marshall), who wants no loose ends left around to connect him with a plot to sell poison gas to the Axis. As Raven ducks and dodges the police, detective Michael Crane (Robert Preston) is hot on the trail of Bewster and Gates. Crane talks his girlfriend, nightclub singer-musician Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake), into taking a job at Gates' nightclub. While on the train to the club, Ellen makes the acquaintance of the escaping Raven. Gates boards the train, spots Ellen innocently sitting next to Raven, and assumes that the two are in cahoots. Later, Gates kidnaps Ellen and spirits her away to his mansion, intending to do away with her the first chance he gets. Instead, Raven, still seeking revenge for being set up, bursts into the mansion in search of Gates. Having previously been impressed by Ellen's kindness, he rescues her, though he intends using her as hostage should the police catch up with him. As they hide out together in the rail yards, Ellen and Raven get to know each other. Learning of Raven's miserable, abusive childhood, Ellen tries to chip away his murderous veneer, hoping to reform him. But when the cops arrive, Raven reverts to his instincts, shooting his way out of his hiding place. As Crane escorts Ellen out of harm's way, Raven rushes towards a bloody showdown with Bewster and Gates. Based on Graham Greene's A Gun For Sale, This Gun For Hire was remade in 1958 as Short Cut to Hell, then again under the original title as a 1990 made-for-TV film. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Add this copy of This Gun for Hire to cart. $14.48, new condition, Sold by Importcds rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sunrise, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Paramount.
Add this copy of This Gun for Hire (Universal Noir Collection) to cart. $16.19, new condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Paramount.
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Seller's Description:
Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, Alan Ladd, Tully Marshall. New in new packaging. Language: English. Run time: 81 mins. Aspect ratio: 1.33: 1. Originally released: 1942.
Add this copy of This Gun for Hire (Universal Noir Collection) [Dvd] to cart. $38.46, new condition, Sold by Streetlight_Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Cruz, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by N94JE.
TITLE: This Gun For Hire
GENRE: Espionage B&W
CAST: Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd, Laird Cregar and Robert Preston
PLOT: As part of a plan to get secrets to sell to the Japanese, a hit man is contracted to carry out the exchange of formula and killing of the traitor. Then the plotters set up the hit man by paying him in counterfeit money and alerting the police to his activities. All sorts of who done it subplots are exhibited. The amazing Miss Lake does two ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE song/dance/magic scenes the likes of which Hollywood has yet to surpass. The chauffeur is of course a thug and the rest of the plotters are of such questionable moral fiber that their plot unravels based on their own hatred of each other.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT: 8 of 10 (goes from 7 to 8 because of the magic of Veronica Lake). The beginning credits (remember those? and trailers trailing!) list "And Introducing Alan Ladd) which to me means this was his springboard to fame.
DVD BONUS: None
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