dukeakasmudge ***Spoilers Ahead, Most Definitely*** I'm not into Film Noir flicks so I wasn't really expecting all that much out of Shield For Murder but it turned out alright.The things that stick out most for me in the movie are Edmond O' Brien (Of course) as the corrupt cop Detective Lt. Barney Nolan (What a GREAT name) I've probably seen a few other movies that Edmond O' Brien has been in but never really paid attention that he was in it.That's going to change.The spaghetti dinner scene (I don't know what else to call it) was brutal.I can see a scene done like that today but with blood & brains splattered all over the table.Sorry if I've grossed anybody out but that's the way movies are done nowadays.They go for the shock factor instead of trying to make you think.I like the way the scene was done because like I said if a scene was shot like that today, it would've been gory & you would've actually seen the beating take place.In the movie you saw just enough to know what's happening & the screams & looks of horror on the diners faces was the perfect touch.The shootout at the pool was something way different that I haven't seen until I watched Shield For Murder.It's the 1st time I've seen something done like that & haven't seen it done in any other movie.The final scene where Nolan used his police tactics to try & escape from the police who were looking for him.Going into the police station & stealing a uniform, calling into the police station to find out what information they had on him, etc, etc, etc.Lastly, the end scene where Nolan was killed right in front of the model home he planned on buying.I would have to say Shield For Murder is worth taking a look at if you are a fan of Film Noir or enjoy crime movies like I do

RanchoTuVu The poor police detectives that populated the film noirs of the early 1950s. Their suits were rumpled and they lived on whatever pittance the departments paid them. Edmond O'Brien pretty much owns the stereotype in Shield For Murder, which he also co-directed, a film that takes "hard-hitting" to new heights of violence, most notably in a scene where he pistol-whips the holy crap out Claude Aikens, who plays an enforcer for the local underground crime boss. O'Brien's character had either gradually gotten fed up with his lousy pay or was always on the take, but either way, his murder of a numbers runner and "liberation" of the $25,000 he was carrying, opens this film onto a unique level of tawdry bleakness only made possible by the lesser studios, like the one from which this highly recommended film emerged. Ostensibly, what drives O'Brien's character is a desire to provide the kind of life his girlfriend (Marla English) deserves, a nicely appointed and totally furnished tract house in the suburbs. John Agar, O'Brien's honest partner on the detective division, seems to gradually move in on Marla, coinciding with O'Brien's descent into violent desperation, capped off by a few drinks in a spaghetti bar where he meets incredible looking Carolyn Jones. Everything builds up, well-paced to the end.

jarrodmcdonald-1 Previously, Edmond O'Brien had made a name for himself in crime dramas like D.O.A. and 711 Ocean Drive. In those pictures, he plays a man of justice, sometimes put in compromising positions and dealing with ironic situations. This time, he is decidedly on the wrong side of the law. Mostly, the plot of Shield for Murder can be described as a good-cop-turns-bad-cop story, with O'Brien playing a crooked detective whose increasing corruption becomes more and more obvious with each additional crime he commits. Yet the drama is played fairly realistically and remains believable throughout the film's entire running time. Viewer interest is achieved by including assorted oddball characters and with a spectacular chase during the final minutes, where O'Brien is embroiled in a tense shoot-out at a men's athletic club.The supporting cast is more than adequate-- including a memorable turn by Carolyn Jones as the girl at the diner. And while the climactic ending is predictable, it's fun watching O'Brien's character get the usual what's-coming-to-him after causing so much trouble.

David (Handlinghandel) Antihero star/director O'Brien does a good job. He plays a real beast -- a crooked cop who will do the lowest of the low.Marla English, as his girlfriend, is pretty and eefftive enough. She looks a lot like Elizabeth Taylor at that time.It's unusually brutal for its time but not espcially good.