A solid, character-driven film noir with some great location photography, ON DANGEROUS GROUND proves to be a fitting addition to an overloaded genre. This is a film of two halves, starting out as a typically tough, two-fisted detective story about a cop with a penchant for violence (played well by Robert Ryan). Around the halfway mark, the action shifts to the icy, wintry, countryside (shades of both FARGO and INSOMNIA here) and the pursuit of a killer.
ON DANGEROUS GROUND is blessed with a decent script and some solid performances from both Ryan as the incredibly tough lead and Ida Lupino as the blind woman who might well hold the secret to the killer's identity. Lupino is on particularly strong form here, putting across her character's fragility mixed with a particular toughness all of her own. The cinematography is very good, with some great chases in the snow, and Bernard Herrmann's score only adds to the experience.
ON DANGEROUS GROUND is blessed with a decent script and some solid performances from both Ryan as the incredibly tough lead and Ida Lupino as the blind woman who might well hold the secret to the killer's identity. Lupino is on particularly strong form here, putting across her character's fragility mixed with a particular toughness all of her own. The cinematography is very good, with some great chases in the snow, and Bernard Herrmann's score only adds to the experience.