He Ran All the Way

Nick Robey shoots a policeman during a robbery and runs. He follows Peg, whom he meets at a public pool, back to her family's apartment and goes in. From the moment he draws his gun the flat becomes a hostage situation. Nick cannot leave and the family cannot get word out. Over the hours that follow something strange forms between the two of them: Peg is afraid of him and also sorry for him. The screenplay of John Berry's film was worked on by names about to be blacklisted, Dalton Trumbo among the co-writers. The narrative puts a class reading underneath the tension: the household Nick has broken into is exactly the order he never had. John Garfield plays Nick, and it was his last film. He testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1951, refused to name names, and was declared an uncooperative witness. He died of heart failure in May 1952 at thirty-nine. Berry was blacklisted too and left for France. Shelley Winters plays Peg. Who it's for: Viewers interested in noir, single-location thrillers, and the era of the Hollywood blacklist. Who it's not for: The telling is claustrophobic with no relief. The budget is low and the film takes place almost entirely in one flat.