He Ran All the Way (1951)

The greatest movie ever made..!

Simply A Masterpiece

Lack of good storyline.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Copyright 13 July 1951 by Roberts Pictures, Inc. A production of Enterprise Studios released through United Artists. U.S. release: 13 July 1951. New York opening at the Paramount: 20 June 1951. U.K. release: 22 October 1951. Australian release: 7 December 1951. Running time varies: 78 minutes (U.S.); 79 minutes (Australia); 80 minutes (U.K.).SYNOPSIS: Mixed-up fugitive killer forces an average New York family to hide him in their home.NOTES: Garfield's last film. Although he testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1951 as a "co-operative witness", he refused to name names and was black-listed in Hollywood. He returned to New York where he starred in the successful 1952 revival of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy on Broadway. He died of cardiac arrest in the house of a friend at Gramercy Park on Wednesday morning, 21 May 1952. He was 39 or 40 years old.The names of director John Berry and co-screenwriter Hugo Butler were removed from the film shortly after its release, due to black-listing.Domestic gross: $849,465.32.COMMENT: Not by any means the minor film, casually dismissed by many critics. Screenwriters Endore and Butler have attempted to bring off a difficult feat. The action highlight of the film (an excitingly staged pay-roll robbery) takes place in the very first reel. Thereafter the script could well have petered out in a boring anti-climax. That it does not is due as much to the taut, believable writing as to skilled playing and tight direction.Garfield, in a tailor-made role, gives almost the epitome Garfield portrayal. His Nick Robey is a born loser, at odds not only with society and his surroundings, but with himself. Shelley Winters, in a complex, well-motivated role, is a believably sympathetic counterpoint. Wallace Ford and Gladys George are also most effective - as is the great Norman Lloyd in all-too-brief spot as Garfield's partner. The script provides each of these players with finely rounded characterizations.If the basic situation is now thoroughly familiar (thanks to Desperate Hours and numerous spin-offs), it still has a freshness and vibrancy here that make its imitators look stodgy and slow. The pace is fast, the editing crisp. Moreover, director, photographer and production designer have a genuine feel for the realistic locations and know how to use them atmospherically and effectively. The sharp, moody black-and-white cinematography is the work of James Wong Howe.OTHER VIEWS: "Without doubt, Garfield's single most impressive performance on film." - Howard Gelman, The Films of John Garfield."One of the very best pictures I have done." - James Wong Howe in Hollywood Cameramen by Charles Higham.

Filmed in the Shadow of HUAC and the Communist Witch Hunt and Blacklist, this Film-Noir is a Strikingly Photographed, dreadfully Atmospheric, Downbeat of a Movie that is Pure Noir and John Garfield's Last Movie.The Pain in the Performance can be seen as a Physical (heart trouble) and Mental (hounded by the McCarthyites) Breakdown occurring On Screen and in Real Life. It is a Powerful Portrayal by Garfield.The Opening Act is Gloomy as Garfield is living with a Mom from Hell in a God-Awful apartment in the Slums. One of the opening Lines of Dialog...Mom: "If you were a Man you'd be out looking for a job."...Garfield: If you were a Man I would kick your teeth out."There is more Noir Nastiness. A botched Payroll Robbery and a Chase through the Train Yards that leads to a Public Swimming Pool, all Filmed with Gritty Noir Realism by Cinematographer James Wong Howe. The Script was Fronted but Written by Dalton Trumbo (HUAC) and Directed by John Berry (HUAC),This is as Bleak as Noir gets with an Ending that is the Genre at its most Definitive. A Must See for the fine Cast, Crackling Dialog and Shadowy Style. It is a Great Exit for Garfield and is a True representation of the Actor and the Man's Feelings articulated in His Art, Symbolic of His Philosophy and Politics.

A neurotic, jumpy stick up man, well played by John Garfield in his final role, has killed a cop in a botched robbery and takes a family hostage while he tries to figure out his next move. Recalling somewhat similar (and better) films like "The Desperate Hours" (the 1955 version) and "The Petrified Forrest", this tries to deal on more psychological terms of the tormented bad guy and his victims, but it sometimes feels overblown, and at others downright illogical. Shelly Winters plays the 'good' daughter with a yen to go bad, falling for Garfield (although he's so convincing at being a psychological mess, it's a little hard to buy she falls as hard and fast as she does). None-the–less, the tension level stays pretty high throughout, the film looks good, and Garfield does create a pretty complex and unique anti-hero, longing to trust people, but never able to. If not a classic, certainly worth seeing if you like the genre. Sadly, it seems to be out-of-print in the U.S. I had to get my copy from the U.K.

"He Ran All The Way" was John Garfield's last movie before his untimely death from a heart attack at the age of 39. This talented actor featured in a number of film noirs, most notably "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946) and "Body And Soul" (1947) and regularly impressed with the levels of intensity and authenticity that he brought to his roles.Interestingly, this movie is now widely regarded as being the first of the "home invasion" dramas which would later include such notable offerings as "The Desperate Hours" (1955) and "Unlawful Entry" (1992). In these movies the victims are terrorised in their own homes by very dangerous men whereas in other examples such as "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" (1992) and "The Page Turner" (2006), the threat posed to the victims is initially far more subtle and comes from very calculating women."He Ran All The Way" is the story of Nick Robey (John Garfield), a jobless man from a dysfunctional family background who has a nightmare about being constantly on the run and shooting someone. His nightmare soon becomes a reality after his friend Al Molin (Norman Lloyd) persuades him to take part in a payroll robbery which goes wrong. As the two men are making their escape, Al is shot and Nick has to shoot a cop in order to make a clean getaway.Nick tries to look inconspicuous by mingling with the crowds on the street and then goes into a public swimming pool where he accidentally bumps into Peg Dobbs (Shelley Winters), a young woman who's learning to swim. Following their awkward introduction to each other, Nick takes Peg home and she introduces him to her father, mother and younger brother who are going out to see a movie. When the family return home, Nick becomes very anxious and convinces himself that they must know who he is. He brandishes a gun and tells them that he's a fugitive who's wanted for shooting a policeman.From this point on, Nick keeps at least one member of the family with him at all times so that the others can carry on their regular working routines to avoid raising any suspicions. This tense situation continues until action that Peg's father takes enables her to turn the tables on Nick.John Garfield gives a powerful performance as the paranoid killer who doesn't trust anyone and is prone to panicking. His inability to relate to other people is profound and the combination of this quality and Peg's awkwardness and naivety makes their attempts to relate to each other painfully difficult. Shelley Winters' open-faced expressions and confused looks work well to make her character's gullibility seem utterly convincing and Wallace Ford provides the standout supporting performance as Peg's father.Visually, this claustrophobic drama's atmosphere is emphasised very effectively by cinematographer James Wong Howe's use of high camera angles and heavily shadowed areas and the movie's poignant conclusion looks stunning and provides further evidence of his considerable skill.A look at the names of the people involved in the making of this film highlights the impact which the work of the "House Un-American Activities Committee" had on the industry in the early 1950s. John Garfield was one of the most famous actors to be blacklisted as a result of refusing to "name names", director John Berry went to live in Paris for many years to avoid having to appear before the Committee and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo served a prison sentence for refusing to testify. Furthermore, the finger of suspicion was also pointed at another screenwriter, Hugo Butler and cinematographer James Wong Howe.