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It amazes me when people dismiss a movie because of its short length. I much more appreciate a compact, well written and directed movie than some drivel that drags on and on and makes me wonder what happened to the editor. I watched this movie with low expectations since i had never heard of the director and most of the actors. Despite the number of central characters, the director did an excellent job of quickly defining them and getting to the point of the movie. Any additional footage would have been superfluous and only bogged down the steady pace of the movie. James Anderson was excellent at avoiding the stereotypical unjustly accused victim, he neither ranted about his predicament nor did he come across as the overly likable guy who just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, which is what is normally expected of that type of roll. Though it's hard to imagine a public defender putting as much work into the case as this one did, i thought it was a great bit of writing to make his pivotal discovery an accident despite the pd's dogged pursuit of those involved 12 years earlier. I highly recommend this movie to those who appreciate tightly written and economically directed movies.

A good screenplay :a William Irish-like hero against the outside world ,with father-and-son investigating in the tradition of Ellery Queen .Classic murder mystery indeed.

After risking his life in break-in ,a man whose photograph makes all the headlines ends up in jail for he was once sentenced to death and escaped after his warden had a heart attack.

But he claims he's totally innocent and there were witnesses on that fateful night when the murder was committed. Hence the necessity to find all these people ,some of whom are dead or mentally ill; the problem of the movie is that it's inevitably too short, and too hurried for comfort: one has not enough time to make acquaintance with the witnesses who become suspects overnight. The fast pace of the movie does not help , but the scenes are generally strong and gripping ,acting is convincing.

The subject is very interesting though:how a man ,after a good deed , may go from one extreme (hero) to the other (criminal) overnight.

This unusual RKO supporting feature was ambitious to say the least. Its director was a prolific French born veteran of numerous American features, George Archainbaud. Some of his work has been recognised for its artistic merits (13 Women '32 - The Lost Squadron '32) Archainbaud turned to TV later in his career. The involved and imaginative story was penned by generally undistinguished writer De Vallon Scott - both the direction and story were worthy of being treated to main feature status. An interesting, above average cast bring this rather complicated tale to life with dedicated conviction. Gig Young (why he chose to lump himself with that peculiar name is beyond understanding) plays a dedicated public defender working to uncover the truth behind a re-opened murder case that spans a pre and post WW11 timeline. To save on investigative expenses he asks for assistance from his retired ex-cop father (the always interesting Harry Shannon who played the father of 'Citizen Kane' in '41) together, they make a formidable team.

The time distance between the original crime can make keeping track of this intriguing plot a little difficult - as the audience is expected to remember who the players are - and with most not being particularly well known, this demands some concentration - especially as the war years have brought various changes to their circumstances and appearances. It also looks as if RKO may have shortened the production schedule or made post production cuts at some stage (?) There's no boring padding within this story, it starts and holds fast to the main threads till the end - while it could have done with a tad more character development to assist us to more readily identify them. The casting makes good use of James Anderson (To Kill A Mockingbird '62) and a bevy of wonderful looking - hard working B feature women, including Mary Anderson (Lifeboat '44), Carla Balenda (Sealed Cargo '51).

Especially interesting is the Grace Kellyish; Christy Palmer, who plays the eventual wife to the Gerald Mohr character. Christy Palmer, who in real life married actor Alan Baxter, doesn't seem to have stared in any other film (our loss!) she is another plus for this little movie. Good use is also made of a variety of character actors all given snappy lines to bolster interest as it speedily rolls along. Visually, it's perfectly captured on film by the marvellous Nicholas Musuraca. Above average and under recognised.

Note: The old C&C TV print currently being run on local Aust TV is in need of replacing and either they are running it at a faster speed or they have clipped it - as it only clocks in at 65m while being listed at 69mins. Those four mins just might have helped with further character recognition.

The main shortcoming of Hunt The Man Down is that it's too short. It tells the attempt to exonerate a man of a crime committed a dozen years earlier, half a dozen eye-witnesses to which have long since scattered. That's a lot a backstory to cram into a scant 68 minutes – programmer length – when the plot to unfurl is almost as complicated as The Killing or Out of the Past. Despite some nicely observed detail, ranging from Los Angeles' Skid Row to Beverly Hills estates where maids stand by swimming pools with towels on their arm, the many characters don't get their due – Hunt The Man Down becomes less complex than confusing.

James Anderson, working as a dishwasher in a bar that's held up after hours, shoots and kills the intruder; in the resultant publicity, he's spotted as the man who went on the lam before being sentenced for murder some years before. It falls to the public defender (Gig Young) to prove his innocence. With the help of his father, a one-armed retired cop (Harry Shannon), he tries to locate the guests at the impromptu drinking party in 1938 which (as such shindigs so often do) ended in the violent death of one of the merry-makers. He finds the original witnesses elusive, dissembling, deranged or dead. He also finds that, once a habit for homicide takes hold, it's hard to break....

Though Young looks, well, young, he was 37 at the time, with close to two dozen movies behind him. He's still far and away the best-known member of the cast, with the exception of Iris Adrian (as a streel) and Cleo Moore (who shows up for the concluding courtroom scene in a knock-‘em-dead black number, topped off by the sort of hat worn only by floozies in witness boxes). The movie could have used more of her, and of Adrian. For that matter, it could have used more of just about everything.

Hunt the Man Down is directed by George Archainbaud and written by DeVallon Scott. It stars Gig Young, Lynne Roberts, Mary Anderson, Harry Shannon, James Anderson, Willard Parker, Carla Balenda and Gerald Mohr. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography is by Nicholas Musuraca.

Plot finds Young as a hard-working public defender who seeks to clear the name of an alleged murderer (Anderson) who has been on the run for 12 years and who is only caught when he plays hero during a robbery attempt at the diner he has been working at.

Economical for sure, but this is a tight noirish legal thriller that is well written, tidily performed and has the skills of Musuraca for noir photographic shadings that belies the film's obvious low budget. Story is interesting because the accused is adamant he was framed all those years ago, and when we see his story in flashback we understand just why Young's lawyer is so determined to crack the case. So roping in his ex policeman father (Shannon excellent), who lost an arm in service, the scene is set for trying to track down witnesses and hopefully prove the client's innocence.

The pic then shifts into noir gear, cynicism hangs heavy as the one time group of young upwardly mobile socialite witnesses are now either dead, damaged by fate or have mental health problems. The American Dream has not surfaced for these people, and with a couple of nifty twists for resolution purpose, pic - while not a hidden gem or anything like that - is worth tracking down by fans of noir like crime programmers. 7/10