Interesting noir from veteran director Dmytryk. Arthur Franz gives a good twitchy, sweaty performance as a sex criminal released from prison for assaulting women, only to be compelled to kill them with a stolen military rifle once free, and silent star Adolphe Menjou is the police officer in charge of stopping Franz's crime spree. As lurid as the subject matter is, the film's approach to it is admirably serious and even-handed, especially when contrasted to that taken by other films about serial killers. For example, Fritz Lang's noir "While the City Sleeps", made around the same time, features a character similar to Franz's as its villian (a disturbed young killer with a mother fixation, who leaves messages for the police urging them to catch him), but its portrayal of the murderer is comically overwrought in comparison. Some of the psychological shorthand used to illustrate Franz's fractured psyche may appear naive to contemporary audiences (stroking his phallic rifle in anticipation to his murders, wincing in pain when he passes a mother slapping her child on the street), but he's a much more realistic and credible criminal than the overheated creations that populate recent films about the same subject (Seven, Hannibal Lecter trilogy, etc). The film's sober and non-sensational tone can be attributed partly to producer Stanley Kramer; the redeeming social message that is commonly found in his films creeps into this one through the character of a police psychologist, who gives a speech about the need to change the laws that deal with sex criminals (not a lot has changed since the time this movie was released - so much for the redeeming social message). Dmytryk's direction is typically stylish (why did it become so turgid later on?), and he makes excellent use of San Francisco locations. The finale, where the police finally close in on the sniper is particularly well done, with one sequence standing out as especially memorable and effective: a construction worker gives the sniper away as he's about to claim another victim, and discovers too late that its a bad idea to cross a psychopath with a long distance rifle, especially when in the not very convenient position of dangling from a smokestack. The cast is strong, and includes a welcome appearance by B-movie fave Marie Windsor, as a bar pianist who ends up as the sniper's first victim. Nominated for an Oscar for best screenplay, "The Sniper" is fairly obscure compared to other noirs and is unavailable on video - it's really worth catching during one of its occaisonal appearances on cable TV.
60 Reviews
Taking It Out On The World
bkoganbing16 February 2011
Almost twenty years before San Francisco was terrorized by another sniper in Dirty Harry, this well received B film from Columbia Pictures painted a far less glamorous picture of a mentally ill individual taking his problems out on the world. Arthur Franz got his career role in The Sniper and a pity it didn't elevate him to stardom although he certainly had a distinguished and long career.
Franz paints us a portrayal of a socially challenged man who just can't get anywhere with the opposite sex. He conceives a pathological hatred of all women and an innocent encounter with a nightclub performer played by Marie Windsor finally triggers him off.
After that Franz is on a rampage, killing women almost at random from various San Francisco rooftops. The film was shot on location in San Francisco and The Sniper bears a whole lot of resemblance to The Naked City where Jules Dassin made New York's mean streets as much a star as the human players. Director Edward Dmytryk does the same for San Francisco.
And the cops here are much like Barry Fitzgerald and Don Taylor from that film. Watching the film I wonder how much persuasion it took to get Adolphe Menjou to shave off that famous wax mustache of his, a remnant of fashion from a bygone era. It certainly wouldn't have gone with his role as a homicide cop. But the voice is distinctive and Menjou put it over. Acting as his younger sidekick is Gerald Mohr.
What's ironic in The Sniper is that the whole thing is a desperate cry for help to a world to busy to care. The minor key ending of The Sniper brings that point home quite vividly.
The Sniper is a noir classic, not as glamorous as Dirty Harry Callahan's pursuit of another twisted individual through San Francisco, but a whole lot more realistic.
Franz paints us a portrayal of a socially challenged man who just can't get anywhere with the opposite sex. He conceives a pathological hatred of all women and an innocent encounter with a nightclub performer played by Marie Windsor finally triggers him off.
After that Franz is on a rampage, killing women almost at random from various San Francisco rooftops. The film was shot on location in San Francisco and The Sniper bears a whole lot of resemblance to The Naked City where Jules Dassin made New York's mean streets as much a star as the human players. Director Edward Dmytryk does the same for San Francisco.
And the cops here are much like Barry Fitzgerald and Don Taylor from that film. Watching the film I wonder how much persuasion it took to get Adolphe Menjou to shave off that famous wax mustache of his, a remnant of fashion from a bygone era. It certainly wouldn't have gone with his role as a homicide cop. But the voice is distinctive and Menjou put it over. Acting as his younger sidekick is Gerald Mohr.
What's ironic in The Sniper is that the whole thing is a desperate cry for help to a world to busy to care. The minor key ending of The Sniper brings that point home quite vividly.
The Sniper is a noir classic, not as glamorous as Dirty Harry Callahan's pursuit of another twisted individual through San Francisco, but a whole lot more realistic.
Like a crime scene map. Incredibly rich in detail!
boris-266 February 2001
Before one word of dialog is uttered in THE SNIPER, we witness a troubled San Francisco youth, Eddie (Arthur Franz) aim a rifle at a kissing couple. The gun is empty, and Eddie breaks down crying as the unsuspecting couple smooch. From then on, this obscure 1952 classic follows Eddie as he goes on a systematic killing spree. We also follow detecives Adolphe Menjou and Richard Kiley rationalizze the insanity and finally close in on Eddie. This film is rich in classic scenes- Eddie, who we know is uncomfortable with women, confronting sexy Marie Windsor. The suspenseful scene where a smokestack painter points out Eddie, the rooftop sniper. Eddie screams at the man to shut up, but they are clearly a half mile away from each other. All this is done in one deep focus shot. My favorite scene is when the police line up and question local sex offenders (Cop to other cops, pointing to man in line up "This is a tough guy.... with small animals." Classic noir.
Compact thriller with good San Fransisco location shots...
Doylenf27 February 2007
THE SNIPER reminds me of a more compact, more personal look at a psycho killer than THE NAKED CITY, which it resembles in style and content.
ARTHUR FRANZ gets his big break here, a starring role in a well-written thriller about a serial killer who wishes he could stop killing, if the police would only catch him. The final scene is a summation of that wish, but almost seems like a letdown after all the build-up to what we presume would be a bloody climax (if directed by someone like today's Martin Scorsese).
Franz's trouble is that he looks too much like any clean-cut, normal, handsome young man and his looks work against the grain of the role. He's intense when he has to be, but lacks the intenseness of a James Dean or even a Dane Clark as the man given to sudden outbursts of temper and a psyche that is screaming for help and attention. He's good, but never manages to be better than his material. Think of what someone like DANIEL CRAIG would do with this role today.
MARIE WINDSOR does a nice job as a glamorous night club pianist who has the young man (who works as an errand boy for the local cleaners) as a sort of friend she trusts. Her walk through an almost deserted looking San Francisco at night, down hilly streets on the way to her workplace, is photographed with noir precision and style, as is most of the film. Neat use of San Francisco's hilly environment is a constant point of interest throughout.
ADOLPHE MENJOU is not quite as colorful as Barry Fitzgerald was in THE NAKED CITY, playing a detective determined to catch the serial killer before he strikes again. MABEL PAIGE does a nice job as Franz's landlady who talks to her black and white cat as though it was her own dear child, and GERALD MOHR is briskly efficient as a psychiatrist who thinks the police are going about their search the wrong way.
Wonderfully photographed in B&W shadowy photography, it's a compact and efficient film noir that is perhaps a little too restrained in dealing with frank subject matter but nevertheless gets its points across with chilling clarity, thanks to a tight script and some good suspenseful footage.
Summing up: Stands on its own as a good thriller from the early '50s.
ARTHUR FRANZ gets his big break here, a starring role in a well-written thriller about a serial killer who wishes he could stop killing, if the police would only catch him. The final scene is a summation of that wish, but almost seems like a letdown after all the build-up to what we presume would be a bloody climax (if directed by someone like today's Martin Scorsese).
Franz's trouble is that he looks too much like any clean-cut, normal, handsome young man and his looks work against the grain of the role. He's intense when he has to be, but lacks the intenseness of a James Dean or even a Dane Clark as the man given to sudden outbursts of temper and a psyche that is screaming for help and attention. He's good, but never manages to be better than his material. Think of what someone like DANIEL CRAIG would do with this role today.
MARIE WINDSOR does a nice job as a glamorous night club pianist who has the young man (who works as an errand boy for the local cleaners) as a sort of friend she trusts. Her walk through an almost deserted looking San Francisco at night, down hilly streets on the way to her workplace, is photographed with noir precision and style, as is most of the film. Neat use of San Francisco's hilly environment is a constant point of interest throughout.
ADOLPHE MENJOU is not quite as colorful as Barry Fitzgerald was in THE NAKED CITY, playing a detective determined to catch the serial killer before he strikes again. MABEL PAIGE does a nice job as Franz's landlady who talks to her black and white cat as though it was her own dear child, and GERALD MOHR is briskly efficient as a psychiatrist who thinks the police are going about their search the wrong way.
Wonderfully photographed in B&W shadowy photography, it's a compact and efficient film noir that is perhaps a little too restrained in dealing with frank subject matter but nevertheless gets its points across with chilling clarity, thanks to a tight script and some good suspenseful footage.
Summing up: Stands on its own as a good thriller from the early '50s.
Interesting Character Study/Crime Story
ccthemovieman-11 March 2007
For much of this film noir, it was almost more of a character study than a crime movie, since there was very little action and only some suspense in the final 10 minutes. However, I'm not complaining. I found the film got better and better as it went along and was an interesting story overall with an excellent cast. When the action did occur- the sniper's shots - they were shocking scenes, shocking in their suddenness.
I appreciated the fact they shot this on the streets in San Francisco, where the story takes place, instead of some Hollywood back-lot. That city, in particular, with its steep streets and bay-windowed houses, is fun to look at in any era. This happens to be very early 1950s. As with many noirs, the photography was notable, too. I liked a number of the camera angles used in this movie.
I also appreciated that cast. Arthur Franz is excellent in the lead role of the tormented killer, "Eddie Miller." Eddie knows right from the start that he's a sick man, that he can't help himself and that he needs him. (So, why didn't he turn himself in?) It was fun to see an older and sans-mustached Adolphe Menjou as the police lieutenant, and Humphrey Bogart- lookalike Gerald Mohr as a police sergeant. It was most fun, being a film noir buff, to see Marie Windsor. This "queen of noir," unfortunately, didn't have that big a role in here.
What really struck were some bizarre scenes, things I have never seen in these crime movies on the '30s through '50s. For example, there was an investigation of sniper suspects held at the police building in which three suspects at a time were grilled - in front of about a hundred cops. The grilling was more like taunting and insult-throwing by this sadistic cop in charge, who made fun of each guy. Man, if they tried that today, there would lawsuits up the wazoo (so to speak).
Then there was this James Dean-type teen who was on top of a city building with a rifle, right in the middle of this citywide sniper scare. The cops bravely bring him in without killing him and are yelled at for doing so, since the gun wasn't in serviceable order. Duh! The cops were supposed to just see a guy waving a gun on top of a rooftop and let him go, no questions asked?
A number of things in here stretched credibility, but there were some intelligent aspects, too. "Dr. Richard Kent," played by Richard Kiely, was a case in point. He was the police psychologist and gave strong speeches (the film got a little preachy at times) advocating what should be done with sex-crime offenders, some of it Liberal and some of it Conservative in nature. He made some good points. "Eddie" had sex problems, I guess, but I don't remember it being discussed in the film. Maybe I missed that. The film did miss that aspect: Eddie's background, which triggered all the violence.
The second half of this film is far better, because the killings increase and the suspense starts to mount. As it goes on, we get more of a feel of what motivates Eddie as we see his reactions to people and how he views things they say. I was surprised, frankly, that he didn't shoot his nasty female boss, since he only harmed women. She was the nastiest woman in the film, and nothing happened to her. What was Eddie thinking?
I appreciated the fact they shot this on the streets in San Francisco, where the story takes place, instead of some Hollywood back-lot. That city, in particular, with its steep streets and bay-windowed houses, is fun to look at in any era. This happens to be very early 1950s. As with many noirs, the photography was notable, too. I liked a number of the camera angles used in this movie.
I also appreciated that cast. Arthur Franz is excellent in the lead role of the tormented killer, "Eddie Miller." Eddie knows right from the start that he's a sick man, that he can't help himself and that he needs him. (So, why didn't he turn himself in?) It was fun to see an older and sans-mustached Adolphe Menjou as the police lieutenant, and Humphrey Bogart- lookalike Gerald Mohr as a police sergeant. It was most fun, being a film noir buff, to see Marie Windsor. This "queen of noir," unfortunately, didn't have that big a role in here.
What really struck were some bizarre scenes, things I have never seen in these crime movies on the '30s through '50s. For example, there was an investigation of sniper suspects held at the police building in which three suspects at a time were grilled - in front of about a hundred cops. The grilling was more like taunting and insult-throwing by this sadistic cop in charge, who made fun of each guy. Man, if they tried that today, there would lawsuits up the wazoo (so to speak).
Then there was this James Dean-type teen who was on top of a city building with a rifle, right in the middle of this citywide sniper scare. The cops bravely bring him in without killing him and are yelled at for doing so, since the gun wasn't in serviceable order. Duh! The cops were supposed to just see a guy waving a gun on top of a rooftop and let him go, no questions asked?
A number of things in here stretched credibility, but there were some intelligent aspects, too. "Dr. Richard Kent," played by Richard Kiely, was a case in point. He was the police psychologist and gave strong speeches (the film got a little preachy at times) advocating what should be done with sex-crime offenders, some of it Liberal and some of it Conservative in nature. He made some good points. "Eddie" had sex problems, I guess, but I don't remember it being discussed in the film. Maybe I missed that. The film did miss that aspect: Eddie's background, which triggered all the violence.
The second half of this film is far better, because the killings increase and the suspense starts to mount. As it goes on, we get more of a feel of what motivates Eddie as we see his reactions to people and how he views things they say. I was surprised, frankly, that he didn't shoot his nasty female boss, since he only harmed women. She was the nastiest woman in the film, and nothing happened to her. What was Eddie thinking?
"Stop me - Find me and stop me. I'm going to do it again."
classicsoncall12 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This had all the look and feel of film noir as I viewed it but I wasn't certain if it would pass muster as the real deal. It has no femme fatale front and center as most movies of the genre do, but thinking about it, that may be because Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz) killed them all. Marie Windsor came the closest as his victim number one, but she wasn't around long enough to make an impact on the entire story. However the picture does have it's requisite share of pessimism, fatalism and menace, so on that score it delivers in true noir fashion.
I found the cinematographer's work to be quite compelling. The starkly oblique camera angles, be they city streets (amplified by the topography of San Francisco), steep stairways or elevated rooftops, all seem to draw one's attention to and magnify the tormented psyche of the central character. His written plea (see my summary line), dropped anonymously in a city mailbox, reads as a massive cry for help that remains unanswered, except in the verbal exhortation of the police psychiatrist (Richard Kiley) stating his case before a review board. Listening to that argument today however, I don't think it would meet with much approval, in as much as his call for jailing first time sex offenders seems to be given short shrift by liberal judges in the present day.
Actor Franz appeared to have the perfect demeanor for his twisted character, continuously bewildered by the futility of his actions yet powerless to stop his murderous rampage. The film's treatment of his second victim was cleverly handled; all the while we track the woman under Miller's watchful eye, but never see him getting ready to carry out the crime. Then all of a sudden a bullet shatters the woman's apartment window and she falls victim to his single rifle blast. The viewer knows it's coming, but the anticipation is both muted and tension filled, a rare emotion that the film maker expertly achieved.
Going in without knowing anything about the picture, one might be led to believe it's a story about an assassin, and in some respects, the analogy holds. Miller was an assassin of sorts, but his victims were chosen at random for the mere fact of being women. Helpless to overcome his terrifying predilection to murder, Miller is ultimately apprehended with a tear in his eye, not so much for his victims, but for his own remorse at being a monster.
I found the cinematographer's work to be quite compelling. The starkly oblique camera angles, be they city streets (amplified by the topography of San Francisco), steep stairways or elevated rooftops, all seem to draw one's attention to and magnify the tormented psyche of the central character. His written plea (see my summary line), dropped anonymously in a city mailbox, reads as a massive cry for help that remains unanswered, except in the verbal exhortation of the police psychiatrist (Richard Kiley) stating his case before a review board. Listening to that argument today however, I don't think it would meet with much approval, in as much as his call for jailing first time sex offenders seems to be given short shrift by liberal judges in the present day.
Actor Franz appeared to have the perfect demeanor for his twisted character, continuously bewildered by the futility of his actions yet powerless to stop his murderous rampage. The film's treatment of his second victim was cleverly handled; all the while we track the woman under Miller's watchful eye, but never see him getting ready to carry out the crime. Then all of a sudden a bullet shatters the woman's apartment window and she falls victim to his single rifle blast. The viewer knows it's coming, but the anticipation is both muted and tension filled, a rare emotion that the film maker expertly achieved.
Going in without knowing anything about the picture, one might be led to believe it's a story about an assassin, and in some respects, the analogy holds. Miller was an assassin of sorts, but his victims were chosen at random for the mere fact of being women. Helpless to overcome his terrifying predilection to murder, Miller is ultimately apprehended with a tear in his eye, not so much for his victims, but for his own remorse at being a monster.
A taut psychological study--pioneer of its genre.
irvingwarner29 September 2000
This is a sleeper's sleeper--rarely seen, and difficult to rent on video and even harder to rent on 16mm. An opening letterbox announces "The Sniper" as a study of one man's violence against women. From there on, it does all of that in a highly charged, suspenseful storytelling style. This movie was shot on location in San Francisco, and the closing "chase" sequence--odd and highly symbolic concerning what ails the killer--is classic. This writer interviewed the director (Edward Dmytryk) about this and other scenes in "The Sniper", and though the interview was done in 1994 (Dmytryk was 80+ at that time) his artistic recall of "The Sniper" impressed. At that time, he had never been interviewed about that movie since its release. Arthur Franz played the killer, doing a wonderful job. And overall, the writing and acting in "The Sniper" is tight and extremely convincing. The opening shot of "The Sniper" catches you up in the plight of both the public at large, and the killer--and from there, it is quite a ride. Yet "The Sniper" is more than entertainment--it is indeed a classic early study of violence against women (With Richard Kiley playing the psychiatrist). If you can rent this--get it!
Please stop me before I kill again!
sol121828 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
(There are Spoilers) Having a deep psychological fear as well as hatred of women since he was a little boy Eddie Miller, Arthur Franz, grew up to become a serial abuser and later murderer of women. We get a little insight in what makes Eddie tick when we first see him as he walks alone one evening on the streets of San Francisco. Everywhere he looks he sees women, young and old, as his enemies which leads him to lose it and decide to do them before they do him in.
The movie does have Eddie involved with women like his boss at the Alpine Cleaners & Dryers and his elderly landlady where he seems to act normal with them. It's when he tries to make it with night-club piano player Jean Darr, Marie Windsor, who's dress he, as a diver for Alpine cleaners & Dryers, was delivering and the way she treats him as if he were just a little boy instead of a man that has Eddie finally freak out and go psycho. To the point of murdering some half dozen people, with Jean as his first victim, and sending the people, mostly women, of San Francisco into a total state of panic where they didn't feel safe on the streets or in their homes anytime of the day and night.
The movie seems to be based on the string of murders in Chicago back in 1946 by 17 year-old William Heirens who had the same kind of hangups that the fictitious Eddie Miller had. In that Heirens had an uncontrollable hatred of women and murdered three of them , one of his victims was a 7 year-old girl, until he was finally caught by the police. Heirens like Eddie Miller knew that he was sick and desperately wanted to get help. But back then people like himself weren't treated for their mental illness, by being put away and treated in a mental institution, but for their criminal actions by locking them up in prison. Where they would get no help and later when, if they didn't murder anyone, after being let out continue their life of crime.
The movie has in it a prison psychiatrist Dr.Kent, Richard Kiley, giving a speech to a number of city officials, including the mayor, about how people like the at large sniper, Eddie Miller, in the movie is the victim of an uncaring society in not recognizing his illness and not having him treated for it that makes him as much of a victim as those that he victimizes. Eddie himself knows that he's a sick man, he spent time in a prison psycho ward for assault, and tries to get help by going as far as burning his right hand on a stove in order to get admitted into a local hospital. Only to end up getting his hand bandaged and released within an hour.
One of the first films to address mental illness and does it with a man who's not only sick but murderous as well. Which makes it very very difficult to have any kind of sympathy for him but at the same time realize that his actions are that of a man who can't control them, they control him. The film "The Sniper" has as the cop in charge of the sniper killings an almost unrecognizable, with out his famous mustache, Adolphe Menjou as SFPD detective Let. Kafka, was there a hidden meaning in that?. Let. Kafkas assistant and sidekick is the tough Humphrey Bogart look-alike, but looking some 15 years younger, Gerald Mohr as Sgt. Joe Ferris. The two track the killer down in his rooming house in the films very tense and nerve wracking final with almost the entire population of San Francisco looking on.
The movie does have Eddie involved with women like his boss at the Alpine Cleaners & Dryers and his elderly landlady where he seems to act normal with them. It's when he tries to make it with night-club piano player Jean Darr, Marie Windsor, who's dress he, as a diver for Alpine cleaners & Dryers, was delivering and the way she treats him as if he were just a little boy instead of a man that has Eddie finally freak out and go psycho. To the point of murdering some half dozen people, with Jean as his first victim, and sending the people, mostly women, of San Francisco into a total state of panic where they didn't feel safe on the streets or in their homes anytime of the day and night.
The movie seems to be based on the string of murders in Chicago back in 1946 by 17 year-old William Heirens who had the same kind of hangups that the fictitious Eddie Miller had. In that Heirens had an uncontrollable hatred of women and murdered three of them , one of his victims was a 7 year-old girl, until he was finally caught by the police. Heirens like Eddie Miller knew that he was sick and desperately wanted to get help. But back then people like himself weren't treated for their mental illness, by being put away and treated in a mental institution, but for their criminal actions by locking them up in prison. Where they would get no help and later when, if they didn't murder anyone, after being let out continue their life of crime.
The movie has in it a prison psychiatrist Dr.Kent, Richard Kiley, giving a speech to a number of city officials, including the mayor, about how people like the at large sniper, Eddie Miller, in the movie is the victim of an uncaring society in not recognizing his illness and not having him treated for it that makes him as much of a victim as those that he victimizes. Eddie himself knows that he's a sick man, he spent time in a prison psycho ward for assault, and tries to get help by going as far as burning his right hand on a stove in order to get admitted into a local hospital. Only to end up getting his hand bandaged and released within an hour.
One of the first films to address mental illness and does it with a man who's not only sick but murderous as well. Which makes it very very difficult to have any kind of sympathy for him but at the same time realize that his actions are that of a man who can't control them, they control him. The film "The Sniper" has as the cop in charge of the sniper killings an almost unrecognizable, with out his famous mustache, Adolphe Menjou as SFPD detective Let. Kafka, was there a hidden meaning in that?. Let. Kafkas assistant and sidekick is the tough Humphrey Bogart look-alike, but looking some 15 years younger, Gerald Mohr as Sgt. Joe Ferris. The two track the killer down in his rooming house in the films very tense and nerve wracking final with almost the entire population of San Francisco looking on.
Have Rifle, Hate Women!
bsmith55525 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
"The Sniper" was made by Stanley Kramer's Production Company and directed by veteran Edward Dmytryk . It is considered by many as being ahead of it's time in dealing with the subject of a sex oriented serial killer. When I see the word "sex" used in this context, I usually picture a violent rapist. No so here.
Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz) has a history of physically abusing women and has spent a prison term for his crimes. He also keeps a high powered rifle in his bureau drawer. We are not told if he has used the weapon before. It seems that Eddie, living alone in a drab room, has a hatred of women dating back to his unloving abusive mother. Eddie works for a dry cleaner and one day has a delivery to bar singer Jean Darr (Marie Windsor).
Jean is nice to him to the point of offering him a beer while she changes out of a dress she wants cleaned. Jean makes the mistake of telling Eddie that she is planning a holiday with her boyfriend. Becoming angry, Eddie returns to his room and gets his rifle (a carbine actually) out and tails Jean to her work place. He waits for her to come out and calmly shoots the woman dead.
Back in his room, Eddie has guilt feelings and purposely burns his hand on a hot plate to prevent him from using the rifle again. Eddie's case is being covered by Lt. Frank Kalka (Adolph Menjou - sans mustache) and Sgt. Joe Ferris (Gerald Mohr). They 'round up the usual suspects" and parade them in a line-up. Police psychiatrist Dr. James Kent (Richard Kiley) cautions the police that they will not catch the killer using this method.
Eddie kills yet again and as he is honing in on another victim he is spotted by a worker climbing a smoke stack. He is shot for his trouble. Eddie flees back to his room. Kalka and Ferris discover that Eddie had a burned hand which is noticed by his co-workers as being suspicious. They close in on Eddie and.....................................................................
Arthur Franz gives the performance of his career as the troubled Eddie. He had a long and varied career as a second tier leading man and character actor. Kramer used him again in "The Caine Mutiny" (1954). Menjou looks undressed and old without his trademark mustache. Veteran film noire femme fate Windsor is alluring as always. Watch for the future Mrs. Stanley Kramer Karen Sharpe in an early role as a drug store cashier. Also in the cast are Frank Faylen as Police Inspector Anderson, Carl Benton Reid as a concerned citizen as well as, George Chesebro, Harry Cheshire, Byron Foulger, Charles Lane, Rory Mallinson, Jay Novello and George Stern (NOT Wally Cox) in smaller roles.
Dark and dreary but innovative.
Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz) has a history of physically abusing women and has spent a prison term for his crimes. He also keeps a high powered rifle in his bureau drawer. We are not told if he has used the weapon before. It seems that Eddie, living alone in a drab room, has a hatred of women dating back to his unloving abusive mother. Eddie works for a dry cleaner and one day has a delivery to bar singer Jean Darr (Marie Windsor).
Jean is nice to him to the point of offering him a beer while she changes out of a dress she wants cleaned. Jean makes the mistake of telling Eddie that she is planning a holiday with her boyfriend. Becoming angry, Eddie returns to his room and gets his rifle (a carbine actually) out and tails Jean to her work place. He waits for her to come out and calmly shoots the woman dead.
Back in his room, Eddie has guilt feelings and purposely burns his hand on a hot plate to prevent him from using the rifle again. Eddie's case is being covered by Lt. Frank Kalka (Adolph Menjou - sans mustache) and Sgt. Joe Ferris (Gerald Mohr). They 'round up the usual suspects" and parade them in a line-up. Police psychiatrist Dr. James Kent (Richard Kiley) cautions the police that they will not catch the killer using this method.
Eddie kills yet again and as he is honing in on another victim he is spotted by a worker climbing a smoke stack. He is shot for his trouble. Eddie flees back to his room. Kalka and Ferris discover that Eddie had a burned hand which is noticed by his co-workers as being suspicious. They close in on Eddie and.....................................................................
Arthur Franz gives the performance of his career as the troubled Eddie. He had a long and varied career as a second tier leading man and character actor. Kramer used him again in "The Caine Mutiny" (1954). Menjou looks undressed and old without his trademark mustache. Veteran film noire femme fate Windsor is alluring as always. Watch for the future Mrs. Stanley Kramer Karen Sharpe in an early role as a drug store cashier. Also in the cast are Frank Faylen as Police Inspector Anderson, Carl Benton Reid as a concerned citizen as well as, George Chesebro, Harry Cheshire, Byron Foulger, Charles Lane, Rory Mallinson, Jay Novello and George Stern (NOT Wally Cox) in smaller roles.
Dark and dreary but innovative.
You must stop me before I do it again.
hitchcockthelegend1 June 2009
"High among police problems is that of the sex criminal, responsible last year alone for offences which victimised 31,175 women. Adequate and understanding laws do not exist. Law enforcement is helpless. Here in terms of one case, is the story of a man whose enemy was womankind"
Produced by Stanley Kramer, directed by Edward Dmytryk and photographed by Burnett Guffey. Those three things were enough to make me positively desperate to see this film at the earliest opportunity, what I hadn't counted on, and what a true surprise it was too, was just what a taut and tightly scripted picture it is. Written by Edward and Edna Anhalt, who were academy award nominated for their efforts, The Sniper has an edgy griminess to it that itches away at the skin. It's not that the violence is particularly harsh, because it isn't and it's simply executed, it's that our protagonist Edward 'Eddie' Miller is on the surface a normal every day Joe, someone who may be living in our respective neighbourhoods.
This is one of those films that, and I disagree with some of my fellow reviewers on the net, is as relevant today as it was back in 1952. Problems of not recognising psychotic tendencies do still way lay our respective societies, the police and medical staff do still have problems nipping in the bud potential street walking maniacs from being in our midst. Here we get Arthur Franz ("Sands of Iwo Jima" & "The Caine Mutiny") as Miller brilliantly essaying a mind fragmenting by the day, his hatred of women born from some dark place long back in his childhood. Even little girls on the street bring him out in a sweat, as a mother slaps her child, Miller feels the burn on his very own face as well. Some scenes linger once the film has long since finished, a chimney stack shooting or a fair ground sequence as Miller's built up frenzy rises to the surface, all brilliantly put together by Dmytryk and Guffey, with the latter's work in and around San Francisco very impressive. Fleshing out the cast with impacting results is Adolphe Menjou, Gerald Mohr, Marie Windsor, Frank Faylen & Richard Kiley.
It's a fabulous character study that also excellently brings notice to the plight of police procedural matters on a case such as this. No this film isn't some sex maniac shocker that defined a genre, it is however an important film in many ways. The themes that it highlights are not to be ignored, and for 1952 this film to me has to be seen as a landmark of sorts, certainly its influence can be found in many a similar films that followed further on down the line. Finally, because it's largely unseen, it's now available on DVD (excellent print), so hopefully more people can get to see this highly recommended film. A film that may be beautiful to look at, but most assuredly is very very dark in thematics. 8/10
Produced by Stanley Kramer, directed by Edward Dmytryk and photographed by Burnett Guffey. Those three things were enough to make me positively desperate to see this film at the earliest opportunity, what I hadn't counted on, and what a true surprise it was too, was just what a taut and tightly scripted picture it is. Written by Edward and Edna Anhalt, who were academy award nominated for their efforts, The Sniper has an edgy griminess to it that itches away at the skin. It's not that the violence is particularly harsh, because it isn't and it's simply executed, it's that our protagonist Edward 'Eddie' Miller is on the surface a normal every day Joe, someone who may be living in our respective neighbourhoods.
This is one of those films that, and I disagree with some of my fellow reviewers on the net, is as relevant today as it was back in 1952. Problems of not recognising psychotic tendencies do still way lay our respective societies, the police and medical staff do still have problems nipping in the bud potential street walking maniacs from being in our midst. Here we get Arthur Franz ("Sands of Iwo Jima" & "The Caine Mutiny") as Miller brilliantly essaying a mind fragmenting by the day, his hatred of women born from some dark place long back in his childhood. Even little girls on the street bring him out in a sweat, as a mother slaps her child, Miller feels the burn on his very own face as well. Some scenes linger once the film has long since finished, a chimney stack shooting or a fair ground sequence as Miller's built up frenzy rises to the surface, all brilliantly put together by Dmytryk and Guffey, with the latter's work in and around San Francisco very impressive. Fleshing out the cast with impacting results is Adolphe Menjou, Gerald Mohr, Marie Windsor, Frank Faylen & Richard Kiley.
It's a fabulous character study that also excellently brings notice to the plight of police procedural matters on a case such as this. No this film isn't some sex maniac shocker that defined a genre, it is however an important film in many ways. The themes that it highlights are not to be ignored, and for 1952 this film to me has to be seen as a landmark of sorts, certainly its influence can be found in many a similar films that followed further on down the line. Finally, because it's largely unseen, it's now available on DVD (excellent print), so hopefully more people can get to see this highly recommended film. A film that may be beautiful to look at, but most assuredly is very very dark in thematics. 8/10
I imagine Charles Whitman saw this years before he thought of the UT tower
nomoons119 October 2011
Seeing this you'll get an idea of what's in the mind of people who aren't quite raised right.
This is just a beautifully filmed little noir. The San Fransisco scenery is just stunning. A really well put together film about a guy who just doesn't like women who talk down to him. You can see him seething underneath as he slunks away in those instances but you just know that he's gonna pop...and he does.
This one all comes down to getting people help for psychological problems early on in life. Some go through the system and never get what they need in the way of some kinda therapy and they eventually...fall through the cracks. This guy wants the help but it's just not their.
I can't say enough at how well this film looks. Add substance and a really good story and that makes for a worthwhile watch. Give this one a go.
This is just a beautifully filmed little noir. The San Fransisco scenery is just stunning. A really well put together film about a guy who just doesn't like women who talk down to him. You can see him seething underneath as he slunks away in those instances but you just know that he's gonna pop...and he does.
This one all comes down to getting people help for psychological problems early on in life. Some go through the system and never get what they need in the way of some kinda therapy and they eventually...fall through the cracks. This guy wants the help but it's just not their.
I can't say enough at how well this film looks. Add substance and a really good story and that makes for a worthwhile watch. Give this one a go.
Boring preaching
cinephage5 December 2009
In spite of the location shooting, this crime movie (certainly not a film noir) is nothing but typical, boring Stanley Kramer fare with some police procedures, a tendency of the times. It's nothing but a much too long lecture about the necessity of preventing crime by having more psychiatrists than cops and more insane asylum than prisons. It has badly aged and is quite uninteresting actually. THe characters are unbelievable, the cops as well as the preaching psychiatrist. I guess you might call it a liberal movie (though it was the Mc Carthy era) but if you're not a liberal, not a chance to be convinced by the message in the film. The idea is "criminals are human beings too and too often, society refuses to listen to them and our indifference to those suffering souls is the main cause of crime". Add to it that the crowd is cruel and insensitive (that old lady who says "I hope they'll kill him" among others) and the film was made from the point of view of the killer and its quite misogynistic : all women are horrible (he is thus to be forgiven if he kills them) especially Miller's boss. It was a strange idea to revive it on DVD as part of the Columbia Film Noir series (Movies were mostly non-noir except the very modern "Murder by contract" directed by Irving Lerner.
It's not Ducks He's Shooting
dougdoepke25 January 2008
The trouble is Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz) just can't keep himself from shooting women. Plus, he does it from a distance with a sniper's rifle which makes him doubly hard to catch. Today, the sex angle would likely be played up, turning him into a serial rapist. Here, however, his sick motivation looks more like pure rage than sexual desire. Everywhere he goes, he's either humiliated or rejected by women. He's attractive enough (probably too much so to be credible), but he has a personality problem. In short, Eddie simply can't accept himself as a deliveryman; instead, he builds himself up with obvious exaggerations to impress strangers, such that when pretty barfly May Nelson approaches, he ends up offending her with wild stories. Like Psycho's Norman Bates, the problem probably goes all the way back to Mom.
It's certainly a very watchable movie. The San Francisco locations are used to great effect-- the cops surveilling downtown rooftops from on high sets up a marvelous panoramic look at the city. Then too, the smokestack scene with its human fly amounts to pure cinematic magic. A problem in the film lies with too much obviousness where a lighter hand is needed. Thus, when Eddie goes on a little downtown stroll, he doesn't encounter just one woman-caused frustration, but a whole heavy-handed series of them. Too bad, because we get the idea early on that petty annoyances involving women amount to major injuries in Eddie's twisted world. Then there's the let's- hit-you-over-the-head-in-case-you-don't-get-it last scene; it's about as necessary as strip-poker at a nudist colony. Still and all, the movie's heart is in the right place, even if it appears made at times for the slow-witted.
One big benefit for 50's-era fans is cult favorite Marie Windsor in a low-cut evening gown, purring her seductive lines to Eddie even as she exploits him to the hilt. What a great cameo from a really unusual actress.Too bad their scene together comes so early because it's a pip and a movie high point. Speaking of film eras, compare the themes and locations of this movie (1951) with the cinematically similar, Vietnam-era Dirty Harry (1971). Tellingly, the hopeful reformism that Kramer&Co. plead for in Sniper has been replaced by a kind of hopeless vigilantism where Harry (Clint Eastwood) ends up rejecting city hall, killing the sniper, and throwing away his policeman's badge. Mark it down to what you will, but the change-over is pretty stark and startling. Anyway, this little B-film created quite a stir at the time and remains an interesting piece of movie history, well worth thinking about
It's certainly a very watchable movie. The San Francisco locations are used to great effect-- the cops surveilling downtown rooftops from on high sets up a marvelous panoramic look at the city. Then too, the smokestack scene with its human fly amounts to pure cinematic magic. A problem in the film lies with too much obviousness where a lighter hand is needed. Thus, when Eddie goes on a little downtown stroll, he doesn't encounter just one woman-caused frustration, but a whole heavy-handed series of them. Too bad, because we get the idea early on that petty annoyances involving women amount to major injuries in Eddie's twisted world. Then there's the let's- hit-you-over-the-head-in-case-you-don't-get-it last scene; it's about as necessary as strip-poker at a nudist colony. Still and all, the movie's heart is in the right place, even if it appears made at times for the slow-witted.
One big benefit for 50's-era fans is cult favorite Marie Windsor in a low-cut evening gown, purring her seductive lines to Eddie even as she exploits him to the hilt. What a great cameo from a really unusual actress.Too bad their scene together comes so early because it's a pip and a movie high point. Speaking of film eras, compare the themes and locations of this movie (1951) with the cinematically similar, Vietnam-era Dirty Harry (1971). Tellingly, the hopeful reformism that Kramer&Co. plead for in Sniper has been replaced by a kind of hopeless vigilantism where Harry (Clint Eastwood) ends up rejecting city hall, killing the sniper, and throwing away his policeman's badge. Mark it down to what you will, but the change-over is pretty stark and startling. Anyway, this little B-film created quite a stir at the time and remains an interesting piece of movie history, well worth thinking about
It demands the right frame of mind to understand the dysfuntional of men
jordondave-2808510 April 2023
(1952) The Sniper
PSYCHOLOGICAL CRIME DRAMA
Because the year in which "The Sniper" was shown, it may have consist an influential impact to serial killers made in the future like "Dirty Harry" and ' "Target" that stars Arthur Franz as the very disturbed Eddie Miller who eventually becomes the Sniper for his loathing of women as a result of rejection and miscommunication. Showing viewers how the system overall had failed him leading to his obvious deterioration.
Am I able to credit a movie because this was the first movie that portrayed a dysfunctional serial killer sniper, a movie that does not have any plot but a police procedure to catch the perpetrator.
Because the year in which "The Sniper" was shown, it may have consist an influential impact to serial killers made in the future like "Dirty Harry" and ' "Target" that stars Arthur Franz as the very disturbed Eddie Miller who eventually becomes the Sniper for his loathing of women as a result of rejection and miscommunication. Showing viewers how the system overall had failed him leading to his obvious deterioration.
Am I able to credit a movie because this was the first movie that portrayed a dysfunctional serial killer sniper, a movie that does not have any plot but a police procedure to catch the perpetrator.
realistic study of a serial killer
seaview120 July 2000
I saw this long ago and I highly recommend that you seek this out for viewing. Please excuse any lapses of memory. This interesting study of a loner(B Movie actor Arthur Franz gives the performance of his career!) who hates women and is compelled to shoot them. As a manhunt ensues in the city (San Francisco I recall), the victims begin to mount until there is a suspenseful climax. A young Richard Kiley and venerable Adolphe Menjou(who ironically played in some daring dramas like Paths of Glory-yet testified before the House UnAmericans Committee for the blacklists)play the lead detectives.
Suffice it to say that this film not only deals intelligently with a serious subject matter, it ends in such a believable and non-cliched way that I loved this film!
Fritz Lang's M was probably the best of this genre and Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer was pretty impressive for a modern audience. Somewhere in between, The Sniper has its place from a fifties sensibility as a sleeper to be studied by today's more discerning audiences. Indeed, as Marnie is being rediscovered for its merits, The Sniper is a film ahead of its time.
Suffice it to say that this film not only deals intelligently with a serious subject matter, it ends in such a believable and non-cliched way that I loved this film!
Fritz Lang's M was probably the best of this genre and Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer was pretty impressive for a modern audience. Somewhere in between, The Sniper has its place from a fifties sensibility as a sleeper to be studied by today's more discerning audiences. Indeed, as Marnie is being rediscovered for its merits, The Sniper is a film ahead of its time.
Progenitor for the movies about sexually aggravated men lashing out against society
tonosov-512382 April 2023
Major kudos for the script for not pulling out a Psycho moment. There is no scene where someone from the police would sit everyone down in the room and explain in a blunt fashion what made Edward Miller what he is now and what drew him to killing. Thankfully, the movie only hints at what could've occurred that made him hate women with an almost agonizing fervor.
The story is about the regular hunter and the hunted, where the police just react to Miller's killings while trying to figure out his identity with the most rudimentary criminal profiling techniques from the 1950s.
With very misguided insinuations that apparently petty misdemeanors can't escalate to outright murder without somehow being tracked by the police. If only the boomers knew. What they did know is how to moralize with incredibly obvious soapbox speeches about how many mentally ill people just slip through the cracks of the system and the government would rather shoot them all instead of addressing the bigger issue.
Arthur Franz is doing a proficient job with his character. Others, not so much. Most of the police staff just read their lines in either a monotone or slightly concerned voice, looking at bodies all over 1950s San Francisco.
The story is about the regular hunter and the hunted, where the police just react to Miller's killings while trying to figure out his identity with the most rudimentary criminal profiling techniques from the 1950s.
With very misguided insinuations that apparently petty misdemeanors can't escalate to outright murder without somehow being tracked by the police. If only the boomers knew. What they did know is how to moralize with incredibly obvious soapbox speeches about how many mentally ill people just slip through the cracks of the system and the government would rather shoot them all instead of addressing the bigger issue.
Arthur Franz is doing a proficient job with his character. Others, not so much. Most of the police staff just read their lines in either a monotone or slightly concerned voice, looking at bodies all over 1950s San Francisco.
So much better than it would be if remade today.
rmax30482315 January 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I think I've only seen this twice -- once in its release, when I was a kid, and again on TV, about ten years ago, so my memory of the details are a bit fuzzy. The plot is rudimentary by our standards. A sniper (Arthur Franz) is stalking San Francisco. The police (Adolf Menjou) want to either shoot him or catch him and send him to the gas chamber. The humanist psychiatrist (Richard Kiley) argues that anyone who snipes women who are strangers to him must be mentally ill and the object of his capture should be incarceration and treatment rather than death.
As I said, it's pretty dated, isn't it? Compare it to "Dirty Harry," in which the sniper is nothing more than an evildoer who shoots San Franciscans "because he likes it." The Dirty Harry sniper is protected by an ineffectual judicial system. We root for Harry who simply wants to "shoot the b******." How times have changed. About the time this movie was released, my underaged friends and I used to peek through the windows of a lesbian bar in Greenwich Village. Every third or fourth time we were lined up with our noses against the glass, a police officer would sneak up behind us and go down the row hitting us on top of the head with his baton -- BOP,BOP,BOP... Always the same cop! And without even reading us our rights! That's the attitude of the police in this movie. The cops are practically paleolithic. Nobody's hampered by this business about fair treatment. Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out! (Please, that's called "sarcasm".)
Menjou is outraged and snappish, Kiley the voice of sweet reason. And Franz, the sniper? Well, it had something to do with his mother. We don't find this out until about half way through the movie when his landlady tells him to be careful with his stove, didn't his mother ever teach him that? Franz stops in mid-stair and grimly announces, "My mother never taught me anything."
The movie is dated in two other ways. I can't tell you how shocking the murder scenes were in 1952. The critics were appalled and some theaters edited out the shootings. But the two or three that are shown on the screen are in long shot and by current standards ludicrously tame.
Here's the other way in which its dated -- the resolution. The police finally identify the sniper, find out which barren room Franz lives in, determine that he's at home, and surround the place with an army of cop cars and tommy-gun agents of the law, every sight trained on the windows of Franz's digs. Franz spots them, assembles and loads his rifle, and waits for them. Menjou, who has by this time begun to see what Kiley has been driving at, calls through a bullhorn for Franz to come out with his hands up. Silence. The cops want to turn the apartment into lace but Menjou demurs. Let's try to talk to him first. A party of them, bristling with guns, sneaks up the stairs and slowly swings open the door to Franz's room expecting him to start shooting. Instead they find Franz sitting in front of the windows, rifle across his lap, catatonic, tears on his face.
Imagine a similar contemporary movie ending with such a dying fall. Would the cops find Franz sitting quietly alone? That's meant to be a rhetorical question. I think we all know what would happen in a modern movie when the police surrounded Franz's apartment. Just follow the numbers. Every window for miles around would be shattered by bullets. The walls would be splattered with blood and brains. The sniper would drag a 40 millimeter cannon out of his closet. San Francisco would be levelled. The actual quiet resolution would generate in modern audiences a vague sense of disappointment. "Talky," the kids would complain between gulps of high-energy soft drinks. "Too slow."
Stanley Kramer, never an articulate man in his own right, turned extraordinarily preachy in his later movies, but this is Kramer during his early period, when he didn't LOOM over his productions quite so much. Splendid use is made of unfamiliar and very ordinary San Francisco locations, by the way. The movie was shot at a time when the city still had a sizable working-class population, now largely disappeared.
Worth seeing, definitely.
As I said, it's pretty dated, isn't it? Compare it to "Dirty Harry," in which the sniper is nothing more than an evildoer who shoots San Franciscans "because he likes it." The Dirty Harry sniper is protected by an ineffectual judicial system. We root for Harry who simply wants to "shoot the b******." How times have changed. About the time this movie was released, my underaged friends and I used to peek through the windows of a lesbian bar in Greenwich Village. Every third or fourth time we were lined up with our noses against the glass, a police officer would sneak up behind us and go down the row hitting us on top of the head with his baton -- BOP,BOP,BOP... Always the same cop! And without even reading us our rights! That's the attitude of the police in this movie. The cops are practically paleolithic. Nobody's hampered by this business about fair treatment. Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out! (Please, that's called "sarcasm".)
Menjou is outraged and snappish, Kiley the voice of sweet reason. And Franz, the sniper? Well, it had something to do with his mother. We don't find this out until about half way through the movie when his landlady tells him to be careful with his stove, didn't his mother ever teach him that? Franz stops in mid-stair and grimly announces, "My mother never taught me anything."
The movie is dated in two other ways. I can't tell you how shocking the murder scenes were in 1952. The critics were appalled and some theaters edited out the shootings. But the two or three that are shown on the screen are in long shot and by current standards ludicrously tame.
Here's the other way in which its dated -- the resolution. The police finally identify the sniper, find out which barren room Franz lives in, determine that he's at home, and surround the place with an army of cop cars and tommy-gun agents of the law, every sight trained on the windows of Franz's digs. Franz spots them, assembles and loads his rifle, and waits for them. Menjou, who has by this time begun to see what Kiley has been driving at, calls through a bullhorn for Franz to come out with his hands up. Silence. The cops want to turn the apartment into lace but Menjou demurs. Let's try to talk to him first. A party of them, bristling with guns, sneaks up the stairs and slowly swings open the door to Franz's room expecting him to start shooting. Instead they find Franz sitting in front of the windows, rifle across his lap, catatonic, tears on his face.
Imagine a similar contemporary movie ending with such a dying fall. Would the cops find Franz sitting quietly alone? That's meant to be a rhetorical question. I think we all know what would happen in a modern movie when the police surrounded Franz's apartment. Just follow the numbers. Every window for miles around would be shattered by bullets. The walls would be splattered with blood and brains. The sniper would drag a 40 millimeter cannon out of his closet. San Francisco would be levelled. The actual quiet resolution would generate in modern audiences a vague sense of disappointment. "Talky," the kids would complain between gulps of high-energy soft drinks. "Too slow."
Stanley Kramer, never an articulate man in his own right, turned extraordinarily preachy in his later movies, but this is Kramer during his early period, when he didn't LOOM over his productions quite so much. Splendid use is made of unfamiliar and very ordinary San Francisco locations, by the way. The movie was shot at a time when the city still had a sizable working-class population, now largely disappeared.
Worth seeing, definitely.
Misses the Mark
kenjha24 July 2010
A serial killer stalks brunettes in San Francisco. It is a rare film of the period in that it is told mostly from the perspective of the killer. Why he kills is explained within the first few minutes with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. His mama was mean to him when he was a child. The reason for his hatred of women is further magnified in exaggerated vignettes where women are mean to him. Typical of producer Kramer, the film is rather preachy in espousing its views on crime and punishment. The gritty San Francisco locales are good, but not enough to overcome the contrived plot. The acting is uneven, with Menjou and Kiley (his second film) coming off best.
A Noir That Manages to Chill You to the Bone While Breaking Your Heart
evanston_dad24 June 2016
A stark and upsetting film about a serial sniper driven to shoot women because of suggested but never explicitly explained interactions with female figures in his past. There's something ahead of its time about this film, partially because of its frank mingling of violence and sexuality, but also because of the way it depicts what happens to a human body when it's gunned down. In other movies from the same time period, if someone were to get shot, they would freeze and pose dramatically for the camera before slowly crumpling to the floor in a bloodless swoon. In this film, shot bodies get thrown into walls and drop like lead. It's disturbing because it looks very real.
Also notable is this film's plea to its audience to have sympathy with its tortured killer, and the suggestion that murderers might be sick rather than evil. The end shot in particular left me chilled and heartbroken at the same time.
The story won screen writing couple Edward and Edna Anhalt their second Oscar nomination, though that year's winner was "The Greatest Show on Earth."
Grade: A
Also notable is this film's plea to its audience to have sympathy with its tortured killer, and the suggestion that murderers might be sick rather than evil. The end shot in particular left me chilled and heartbroken at the same time.
The story won screen writing couple Edward and Edna Anhalt their second Oscar nomination, though that year's winner was "The Greatest Show on Earth."
Grade: A
The Sniper - Misnomer Title Belies Thriller
arthur_tafero11 December 2021
This film is not really about any military situations or traditional sniper plots. It is about a sick man (Arthur Franz) who shoots women as a sexual release. This, of course, is unacceptable behavior, even if you might think one or two of these women deserved some type of punishment. The film points out the helplessness of American society to deal with sicknesses of this type at an early stage, which would prevent more serious crimes years later. The film itself is fairly entertaining, and there really is no protagonist in the film. In the 2020s, this type of behavior is now diagnosed almost immediately in our current PC environment, thus preventing more serious crimes later.
A Gem of a Picture
whpratt128 February 2007
This film was created by a cast of very talented people, actors, producer, director and author. The picture is filmed on location in San Francisco and shows how the city looked during the 1950's. This film reminded me of "Targets" with Boris Karloff, where a person decides to take out his target practice out on human subjects. In this film, women seem to be the problem with this killer who is lacking a sex life because he just doesn't seem to trust any female person in his life. Adolphe Menjou (Police Lt. Frank Kafka) plays an outstanding role as a very frustrated police officer who has a hard time tying to figure out just what is the motive for this crime spree through out San Francisco. Richard Kiley,(Dr. James G. Kent) tries to assist the police lieutenant by indicating this is really a sex crime because of an abused childhood and also a history of attacks on the female society in general. Arthur Franz,(Eddie Miller) gives an outstanding performance as a very mixed up person who just can't seem to get along with GIRLS Period. This is a great film from 1952 and very well worth your time to view and enjoy how this subject was handled way back Fifty Five (55) years ago.
Semi Explosive Noir Exploitation
TheFearmakers30 May 2021
Most of this film, centering on THE SNIPER sniping female targets, is wonderfully executed... Particularly while centered on the gunman himself, roaming from one hit to the next to the next, led by various dames bringing out the outright dame-hating nasty in him...
Along the way Arthur Franz's titular loner leaves behind subtle clues (liken to real life serial killers) for the law, used only sparingly during the first half; after which we mostly just HEAR about the killings from head cop Adolphe Menjou teamed with psychologist Richard Kiley, dissecting each remaining murder through pulpy discourse...
Well enough acted dialogue that does however interrupt the addictive violence that might have been too much for audiences back then, making THE SNIPER a Film Noir bordering on Exploitation...
And so, when the picture works, it works just fine. An intense Arthur Franz is excellent in the lead, as is the taut, disturbing direction by Edward Dmytryk, both working together like the killer and his weapon.
Along the way Arthur Franz's titular loner leaves behind subtle clues (liken to real life serial killers) for the law, used only sparingly during the first half; after which we mostly just HEAR about the killings from head cop Adolphe Menjou teamed with psychologist Richard Kiley, dissecting each remaining murder through pulpy discourse...
Well enough acted dialogue that does however interrupt the addictive violence that might have been too much for audiences back then, making THE SNIPER a Film Noir bordering on Exploitation...
And so, when the picture works, it works just fine. An intense Arthur Franz is excellent in the lead, as is the taut, disturbing direction by Edward Dmytryk, both working together like the killer and his weapon.
A peculiar film to come from this era...though not a great movie for any era
moonspinner5522 June 2009
Beginning with sexual assault statistics by men against women (as if only females fell prey to sexual assault!)--which really don't have much to do with the story that follows--"The Sniper" is irrevocably dated, and often so over-heated that it is occasionally funny unintentionally. Co-producers Edward and Edna Anhalt also concocted this melodrama about a disturbed young man (Arthur Franz) in San Francisco, released too soon from the prison mental ward while serving jail time, who gets hostile when he sees displays of sweetheart-affection in public. Worse, he makes women defensive in one-on-one conversation, eventually pegging them as targets to be eliminated; he isn't sexually aggressive, he's a people-hater (though the scenarists curiously lump these two types together). A crack shot with his rifle, Franz secretly pleads for someone to take notice of him, yet bodies begin piling up before police lieutenant Adolphe Menjou puts two and two together. Exceptionally well-made low-budget item has gleaming Burnett Guffey cinematography and some effective moments. The script doesn't do the production justice however, and Franz isn't directed properly (he looks continually unsure of himself). The snippets of chit-chat we hear on the street are amusingly jaded, cynical, and woefully theatrical. Still, the violence depicted was ahead of its time, and is carried off without too much exploitive fervor. ** from ****
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