Cry of the Hunted

First, don't confound this film with other "swamp" films: SWAMP WATER, LURE OF THE WILDERNESS and LURE OF THE SWAMP. This scheme, this topic reminds me something, what about you? Replace Vittorio Gassman by David Janssen and you'll rapidly know what I mean by this. But there are some differences though, Gassman's character is guilty of what he is accused of, and Barry Sullivan's role is more sympathetic than the Javert - from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables - like character of THE FUGITIVE. But the most important thing for me is the relationship between Barry Sullivan - the cop - and the fugitive. Some kind of relationship between friendship, very subtle, and of course adversity. Actually, Sullivan has here the reverse role he had in SEVEN WAYS FROM SUNDOWN, co starring Audie Murphy, where Murphy was the Ranger chasing Sullivan the fugitive. There was also this kind of strange companionship between two of them. This Jo Lewis film is very good, maybe not as excellent as GUN CRAZY, but really worth watching. Made for MGM. If you like bayou, swamp stories, I advise an episode from SCHLITZ PLAYHOUSE TV show, an episode called RABBIT'S FOOT, starring Stephen mc Nally.

I actually enjoyed this film more than I expected. In contrast to other reviews here, I thought the writing was quite snappy and entertaining. I thought the cast was good in all the major roles and the chemistry between the characters was strong.

In particular, Barry Sullivan was a good leading man, and his relationship with his wife (Polly Bergen) was good. I haven't seen many films with those two so it was interesting to see them. I believe that Polly is the mother of Candace Bergen, and you can see some resemblance in her face and attitude.

Vittorio Gassman and William Conrad were also strong supporting roles.

It's not the best noir, but certainly worth seeing. I'm so glad I was able to find it on You Tube since my local library and my local video store had no copies of it....

LA cops Barry Sullivan and William Conrad pursue Cajun Vittorio Gassman into the deadly bayous of Louisiana.

With Joseph H. Lewis directing, you know you're going to get some interesting compositions, and some silly shots too. The latter occurs early on, when they're pursuing a suspect, who jumps on Angel's Flight and rides it to the top, while Conrad runs up beside it and emerges onto the street, not even breathing hard. Mostly though it's about Sullivan, am honest cop whom Gassman respects, while Conrad works over a witness who won't answer his questions -- just out of camera range, while Sullivan looks disgusted. That and strange Cajun culture and stock shots of alligator pulled from TRADER HORN. It's a good programmer, although a bit naive, looking back almost 70 years.

Decent escaped convict pic. Joseph H Lewis, one of the auteurists' favorite 1950s directors, does a fairly good job, on a low budget (as per usual), of making the viewer forget that he or she is looking at the MGM back lot and not Bayou country. And the relationship between Vittorio Gassman and Barry Sullivan is nicely handled as well, with two of the best homo erotic fight scenes until the wrestling match in "Women In Love" came along. On the debit side you have a clunky screenplay by someone named Jack (I need an E) Leonard that, while providing some decent by play between William Conrad and Sullivan, severely truncates the ending so that the conflict between these two co workers, much more interesting, in my opinion, than the one between Sullivan and Gassman, is left unresolved. Most unsatisfying. And I concur with an earlier reviewer who observed that the female characters are either annoyingly perky (Polly Bergen) or annoyingly histrionic (Mary Zavian). Bottom line: I'd rather be watching Ray or Fuller. C plus.

If anyone noticed Cry Of The Hunted at least it seemed to me to be a remake of a film did by MGM in 1852, The Wild North. That's where Stewart Granger plays a fugitive fur trapper in the Yukon and Wendell Corey the Mountie out to get his man.

The location moves a few thousand miles south to the Louisiana bayou where Cajun prisoner Vittorio Gassmann escapes cop William Conrad and heads for the bayou swamp which he knows.

Another cop Barry Sullivan takes it as a personal insult that Gassman escaped since he tried to befriend him and goes after him despite warnings from the locals that there's parts of the bayou they don't go into.

Most of the film is Sullivan and Gassman alone and they talk a lot as each tries to figure the other out. Polly Bergen has a good turn as Sullivan's wife.

Best in the film Mary Zavian as Gassman's woman and one deadly Cajun temptress. Her scenes are worth the wait.