The Hunted ***½ (1948, Preston Foster, Belita, Pierre Watkin) – Classic Movie Review 3674

Director Jack Bernhard’s 1948 thriller is an expert, tense and moody film noir, in which Preston Foster stars as a cop probing a gem theft who finds his main squeeze (Belita) may be the criminal mastermind behind it. She claims she was framed but he doesn’t believe her and gets her sent to jail.

Four years later, she is out of prison and may be in need of help from him. Or she may be just seeking revenge on him and the prosecutor (Pierre Watkin) who sent her down.

Bernhard does well by the material, keeping it pacy and atmospheric. Foster and Belita are just right. There’s neat work on cinematography by Harry Neumann and the scrpt is well written by Steve Fisher.

Also in the cast are Edna Holland, Russell Hicks, Frank Ferguson, Joseph Crehan, Larry J Blake, Cathy Carter, Thomas E Jackson, Charles McGraw, Tristram Coffin, Ernie Adams, George Chandler, Tom Fadden, Paul Guilfoyle and Rory Mallinson.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3674

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