- Robert Siodmak's memorable Criss Cross features one of the best combinations of the gullible sap and femme fatale archetypes in all of film noir. The sap in question is a fellow named Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster) who can't get the woman, Anna (Yvonne De Carlo), out of his mind. The two were once married, but their constant squabbles led to divorce after less than a year. Now Steve is back in town after some time away. Why is he back? Oh, you know. Why did he immediately head over to Anna's favorite bar? Oh, no reason. When his old pal Detective Ramirez (Stephen McNally) asks him about that stack of nickels he's taking over to the phonebooth, Steve can't provide much of an answer. He's hooked good, and everybody in town knows it.
- But all of this is shown in flashback after the film's iconic opening scene in which Steve and Anna quickly steal a nervous embrace in a dimly-lit parking lot. They're probably worried because by that time in the story Anna is married to a hood named Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea). It also happens that Dundee and Steve are teaming up for an armored car heist the following day. If you're wondering why an honest guy like Steve would get mixed up with a crook like Dundee, maybe you haven't realized just how much of a sap he is. As the flashbacks reveal, it's all part of Steve's plan to get back with Anna. I wonder how much of that plan she's onboard for?
- While De Carlo is surprisingly good as a woman who elevates the concept of self-interest to a whole new level, the real star of this film is inarguably Lancaster. Like his noir contemporary Robert Ryan, the former circus acrobat-turned-actor never allowed his imposing physique to impede roles that demanded a vulnerable lead actor. In Criss Cross, he somehow manages to convincingly portray a man strong enough to exchange blows with Dundee but naive enough to imagine living happily ever after with the woman who stranded him at a bar to go marry someone else. Steve is just smart enough to spot a trap, like the one waiting for him at the hospital, but never smart enough to actually get out of the way. In other words, the perfect sap for a nearly perfect classic film noir.
- Yvonne De Carlo is...Lily Munster!
- The imdb claims that Raymond Burr was in this film, but I sure couldn't spot him. Easier to find were Tony Curtis (in a bit part), Percy Helton, and Alan Napier.
