Arsenevich: Frank Tuttle - This Gun for Hire (1942)

Un alma torturada/Contratado para matar

El sádico asesino a sueldo Raven (Alan Ladd en el papel que lo convirtió en una estrella) se enfurece cuando le pagan con billetes marcados su último trabajo. Con la promesa de localizar a su jefe traidor, el dueño del club nocturno Willlard Gates, Raven se sienta junto a la encantadora nueva empleada de Gates, Ellen (Veronica Lake), en un tren que sale de la ciudad. Aunque Ellen está comprometida a casarse con el teniente de la policía que está persiguiendo a Raven, también es una agente encubierta del gobierno que investiga a Gates...

Si la trama suena rara e inverosímil, es porque lo es. Y los extraños acontecimientos y coincidencias se acumulan más y más a medida que avanza la historia. Sin embargo, la película es notable por lo sombría que es y por la actuación de Ladd en el papel que lo sacó de la oscuridad. Raven es un asesino brutal, pero muestra ternura hacia los gatitos y los niños pequeños. Ladd es apasionante e intenso en este rol... no se le puede quitarle los ojos de encima. En resumen, cine "negro" que vale la pena ver.

~~~ Chris Dashiell

Sadistic killer-for-hire Raven (Alan Ladd in the role that made him a star) becomes enraged when his latest job is paid off in marked bills. Vowing to track down his double-crossing boss, nightclub owner Willlard Gates, Raven sits beside Gates' lovely new employee Ellen (Veronica Lake) on a train out of town. Although Ellen is engaged to marry the police lieutenant who's hunting down Raven, she’s also an undercover government agent investigating Gates and his links to treasonous activities. Ellen decides to set the misguided hit man straight as he hides from the cops and plots his revenge; their relationship gradually evolves from that of killer and potential victim to an uneasy alliance against a common enemy.

If the plot sounds weird and implausible, believe me -- it is. And the bizarre events and coincidences pile up more and more as the story proceeds. Nevertheless, the picture is remarkable for its unusually somber mood, and for the performance of Ladd in the role that broke him out of obscurity. Raven is a brutal killer, but he shows tenderness towards kittens and little children. Ladd is gripping and intense in this part -- you can't take your eyes off him. In a later scene with Lake, his character's anguish breaks through, and it's a powerful moment that Ladd, who never was a great actor, pulls off flawlessly. ~~~ Chris Dashiell