As a big Edmond O"Brien fan, I am doubly disappointed in this movie in that he co-directed it besides starring in it. There are plenty of low-budget noirs that are good entertainment, but this was a real misfire. In the early going, the shadow of a boom mike shows up as big as a full moon, and that's typical of the technical mistakes or bad choices. Another bad choice - the beating of the two PI's sent by the gangster was shot with a low angle so that you only see O'Brien swinging his gun with no view of the victims, nor any idea how he managed to beat both of them to smithereens without having a glove laid on him. As a matter of fact, this movie is so filled with low angles, it nearly discredits the practice in general. The main character's desperation, white-hot temper, impulsiveness and stupidity are out-of-step with the idea of any kind of competent detective. There was no build-up or character arc. He's just as ridiculous at the beginning as he is at the end. His girlfriend is too far out of his league to be believed. The captain (Emile Meyer) is a corny cliché. The story wasn't well stitched together, so that situations arose without any set-up, such as the guys who were hiding him out for $500/day. I guess that part was left on the cutting room floor, which is preferable to the alternative - that it was left of the script.
Review of Shield for Murder
