"I never wanted the money. I only wanted you."

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	• Criss Cross [VHS] Burt Lancaster, Yvonne De Carlo Universal Studios, 1996 average customer review:based on 40 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

"I never wanted the money. I only wanted you."

Some think CRISS CROSS (1949) is one of the greatest of all noir films. I don't see it that way, but it very well could have been as good as THE KILLERS (1946) had producer Mark Hellinger lived to see his project through. Nevertheless, it definitely remains one of Universal Studios better noir entries.

And it is packed full of noir conventions; the hopelessness, the flashbacks and voice-over, and the sense that Fate has determined that Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster) is simply a moth to Anna's (Yvonne De Carlo) flame. Once married to one another, Steve and Anna are far too tempestuous to be a happy couple, no matter how hard they try. Things get worse when Steve's friends and family ask Anna to leave Steve alone. So she marries gangster Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea).

In order to free Anna from her unhappy relationship with Dundee, Steve offers to be the inside man for an armored car robbery. Steve hopes to score half the take and flee with Anna. But will he get the chance?

The film feels like a mixing of elements from other Lancaster noir films: the spineless sap at the mercy of a femme fatale, as in THE KILLERS (1946), which (like CRISS CROSS) is also part heist-film; and a driver of valuable cargo that he is supposed to hand over to criminals, as in KISS THE BLOOD OFF MY HANDS (1948).

What lets CRISS CROSS flag a bit is a spot of bad acting. Just watch that initial parking lot scene between an embracing De Carlo and Lancaster.... And Duryea is very good as usual, but he has very little to do here, and is a little wasted. But these shortcomings are compensated for by a well-shot film with a fine Miklos Rozsa score, an excellent supporting cast, and Esy Morales and his Rhumba Band: not to mention Tony Curtis in an early, albeit rather brief role, dancing with De Carlo.

The DVD would benefit from the addition of a commentary track. But this bare-bones effort still boasts a wonderfully robust image. A must-see for noir buffs.

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Simply the best ever "film noir"?

I have been a fan of film noir for many years, remembering them from when they were "B" movies supporting bigger features. I appreciated them more deeply in later years, when I could understand not only the manifest plots, but also the latent, socio-political themes that permeated them all, not only the best or select. I have seen dozens over the years, but only recently could I get hold of Criss Cross, directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Burt Lancaster and Yvonne de Carlo, with the almost inevitable Dan Duryea in a supporting role (and Tony Curtis in his first movie as a dance partner for de Carlo). But what I had been missing! Potent acting,with Lancaster at his strongest and yet most vulnerable, a suitably convoluted plot, the power of the femme fatale to control the destiny of the male, the use of lighting and composition; a film that contains virtually all of the defining attributes of the genre film. And it just bowls along, getting better and better as it develops. You know what will inevitably happen, of course, or at least you do if you have watched enough films noir. But the ending is still powerful and engagingly sad. Why do people do these things to each other? Why cannot they see what is happening to them and who is doing it? Film noir at its finest, and this is the iconic example, helps one to understand human emotion and gain insight into the power of fate. A film that should not be missed, even after nearly 60 years.

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Double Cross X 2

This is a review for CRISS CROSS, the 1949 Burt Lancaster film released by Universal Pictures and directed by noir specialist Robert Siodmak.

The story concerns Steve Thompson, played by Burt Lancaster, a post war drifter who returns to Los Angeles not for any specific reason, just to see and maybe help out his family, or so he says. Certainly not to meet up with his ex-wife of two years ago, he's through with her.

Almost immediately, of course, he does meet up with Anna, played by Yvonne DeCarlo, and the flame is relit bigtime.
But Anna has a romance going with a local hood named Slim Dundee,played by Dan Duryea.
In the meantime Steve Thompson gets his well paying job back with an armored car outfit and seems to be making plans for a remarriage with Anna.

But one night Anna stands Steve up and it turns out she's gone ahead and married Dundee which does not make Steve very happy.

So Steve devises a plan to rob the armored car outfit with himself as the inside man and Dundee and his boys left holding the bag. As the advertising trailer describes it, "A Double Cross Of A Double Cross."

Not only is CRISS CROSS a fine caper film, it's a pretty good film noir with the character's fates seemingly decided before the story is completely set up for the audience, but most viewers will be so involved that they can't help but go along for the ride.

Aside from the very well-done noirish cinematography, CRISS CROSS'S characters just can't seem to help themselves and I don't recall seeing anything like a convincing look of surprise on any of the character's faces as they meet their dark fate.

CRISS CROSS doesn't have any extras besides the coming attraction trailer, but it is subtitled in three different languages and the picture and sound quality of the film are very good.

I would give CRISS CROSS a solid five star rating, it's certainly a film worth seeing and you'll probably want to watch it again. I've enjoyed it a couple of times in the last two years.

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A 5-star noir

Looking at most of the reviews herein, it appears that the people have spoken: overall, it must be said that "Criss Cross" deserves a place of honor in the noir genre. For those who've seen and loved all the usual entries (Big Sleep, Double Indemnity, et al)check out this lesser-advertised gem. Anyone can find something they don't like about any film----nitpicky stuff like "Who called the cops?" "Why does a basically smart guy like Steve (Burt Lancaster)act so dumb around a woman?"----but such questions mean Zip. Movies need be no more logical than real life, and real life ain't logical, in case you haven't noticed. The story is involving and believable. As Steve, Lancaster presents a picture of a nice guy gone wrong, and you care about what happens to him. Star quality is in his every move. Yvonne DeCarlo, for those of you who may only be familiar with her campy TV fame, was one major beauty---in addition to the sizzling good looks, she has an Everywoman quality that many "above it all", major stars of the day didn't possess. Her character here is less than above-board, but you still understand how Steve can feel the way he does about her. Good acting---including that of perennial heavy Dan Duryea---and the director has created a nifty package that can be enjoyed over and over. See it!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

A certified film noir classic, Criss Cross embraces the genre's darkness with an uncompromising tale of doomed lovers and multilayered betrayal. Reuniting with director Robert Siodmak after their success with The Killers, Burt Lancaster plays a love-struck loser who seals his fate when he returns to Los Angeles to find his ex-wife (Yvonne DeCarlo) eager to rekindle their love against all better judgment. She encourages their torrid affair but marries a mobster (Dan Duryea); to deflect suspicion, Lancaster lures Duryea into an armored-truck robbery, creating a vortex of greed and passion from which he cannot escape. Featuring the brief screen debut of Tony Curtis, Criss Cross is a stylish masterpiece of clashing fates and fatal attractions; Franz Planer's cinematography creates a shadow world in which every desire is tainted by the threat of violence, and Miklos Rozsa's score underlines a love story that could never end happily. Film noir doesn't get any bleaker--or better--than this. --Jeff Shannon

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