filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Joe Stemme CORNERED is an oddity. It's a cross between a War era espionage thriller and film noir. It takes place in several countries - but, not the U.S.. - and the lead character is a Canadian and not your typical American.Dick Powell plays an embittered soldier (Gerard) who finds out his wife in France has been killed by the mysterious, and presumed dead, Marcel Jardac (Luther Adler). The trail leads him to Buenos Aires, Argentina where he gets involved in a nest of spies, war collaborator, profiteers and......insurance men! The machinations strain credulity at times, and some of the complications read as ways to mis-direct the audience more than to create genuine complexity. Still, the dogged pursuit by Gerard and the colorful characters including a lawyer named Santana (Morris Carnovsky), Jarnac's widow (Micheline Cheirel) and an oily local 'guide' Melchior (Walter Slezak - was there ever a better name for a Film Noir character actor?!) keeps the film interesting enough. Edward Dmytrk's direction is efficient, if a bit diffident at times. I am not the biggest fan of Powell in Noir roles, but he has his moments here.What elevates CORNERED is the long finale in a rundown cafe after hours. All of the key figures converge and it's a bang up - and, quite nasty - sequence. Tough and aggressive. If only more of the film were so tightly wound.

LeonLouisRicci Early entry in the film-noir cycle and taking place in a "real-time" post war milieu, this one has the odd distinction of not having any Americans in the story. Even our beleaguered War Hero is Canadian. This was a trend that developed during the war as the world began to shrink rapidly and we all became Earth citizens.The darkness and ambiguity of the film is by design. Although the Axis had been defeated it did not come without a very heavy toll. Here the psychological pain manifesting itself in dizziness and headaches slows down but does not stop our angry, bitter, revenge seeking husband from taking on what's left of the "scum, not salt, of the earth".Some very typical cynical dialog and fast talking back and forth keep things moving, as does the interesting lighting and claustrophobic sets that "corner" this joyless juggernaut as he stumbles through a maze of deception to defeat not only the murderers of his wife but the enemies of the free world and their diabolical determination.Heavy going, deep and convoluted plot developments, and wordy transitions make for an uneasy visionary venture infected with PTSD. This is how film-noir celebrated V-Day.

Neil Doyle Directed in crisp, no nonsense direction by Edward Dmytryk with plenty of tough dialog and ambiguous bad guys, CORNERED gave Dick Powell a chance to play the kind of tight-lipped role that would have been offered to Alan Ladd if this RKO film had been made at Paramount.In Ladd's laconic style, Powell is a Canadian flier seeking to find the identity of the man who was behind the killing of his wife in France toward the end of WWII. He goes on his mission while making serious blunders about the innocence or guilt of everyone he encounters along the way. Nevertheless, despite the fact that he can't trust villainous Walter Slezak who befriends him, he does manage to nail the culprit in time for a satisfying conclusion. Luther Adler is fine in what is essentially a bit role in the story's final scene.It's competent but hardly inspiring or original. It passes the time as a film noir of moderate interest with a good tough guy performance from Powell, who kept reminding me of the sort of anti-hero Alan Ladd was in his early films at Paramount such as "This Gun for Hire" and "The Glass Key." But "Cornered" is not quite as effective as those Ladd films.

sronan2002 Powell's is an unsentimental, yet human, portrayal of a man broken by war who clings to vengeance as salvation. In my opinion, it is Powell's greatest acting achievement.The emotional subtlety of his performance is intimidating. Anger, tension, and frustration are portrayed without histrionics. It's like watching Picasso on an Etch-a-Sketch; fast, surprising, and riveting. By the time he made this movie Powell had learned the camera likes less, not more, and he used his face as subtly as Bogart used his voice, and Gary Cooper his eyes.This movie has great direction, dialogue, memorable bad guys, and Dick Powell's strongest performance to recommend it.