Poetic Film Review: Criss Cross (1949)

In shadows cast by film noir's mystique,
A tale unfolds of passion's dark deceit.
Criss Cross, a film of 1949,
Directed by Siodmak, a name revered.

Burt Lancaster stars as Steve Thompson,
A man haunted by the ghosts of love and sin.
He returns to L.A., with memories keen,
And finds himself ensnared in Anna's unseen.

Yvonne De Carlo's Anna, a femme fatale,
Reignites the flame that once made them frail.
Their love, though doomed, still burns with might,
Complicating matters with Slim Dundee's sight.

Dan Duryea plays Slim, a gangster with greed,
As tangled webs of double-crosses proceed.
Steve devises a plan, a heist to steal,
An armoured truck, the spoils to reveal.

Criss Cross has all the noir elements right,
Atmospheric black-and-white, and music bright.
Rozsa's score and Planer's lens so fine,
De Carlo's Anna, a captivating design.

Lancaster and Siodmak reunite,
Following The Killers, a prior delight.
Lancaster shines as the flawed protagonist true,
Yet the film falls short of what the genre can do.

The script by Fuchs, slow in its pace,
Hurries the plot, lacking the emotional space.
Siodmak's direction, though, saves the day,
In the heist scene, a thrilling way.

Though not a classic, Criss Cross remains,
A worthwhile watch for film noir's enthusiasts, it sustains.
A glimpse into Hollywood's Golden Age,
A tale of shadows, darkness, and love's disarray.

(Note: The review in its original form can be read here.)

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