User reviews

At first glance a rather ordinary thriller with a disillusioned cop (Barry Sullivan - pretty good) chasing an escaped con (Vittorio Gassman) deep into the swamps of Louisiana. However, delve a little deeper and you find a dark and cynical meditation on fear, obsession and personal honour.

Unlike ‘The Fugitive' this con is guilty but his crime, although serious, barely gets a mention. The script instead concentrates on the two protagonists and their similarities. Although on different sides of the law, both believe in family and personal honour and cannot compromise their beliefs. Both suffer as a result.

The justice system is portrayed as idle(a Prison Warden only interested in golf), bigoted (a Southern Sheriff who pre-dates ‘In the Heat of the Night') or just plain nasty (William Conrad scoring well as the cop's partner.)

On the down side, the female roles are seriously underwritten (virtuous wife & bayou trash hellcat) and the resolution is implausibly upbeat.

Overall, however, a good ‘B' thriller of its' day, surprisingly violent in places. Director Joseph H Lewis made better movies (‘Gun Crazy', ‘The Big Combo') but this one still begs the question; ‘How in hell did someone so talented end up making episodes of ‘Rifleman'& 'The Big Valley'?!'

LA cops Barry Sullivan and William Conrad pursue Cajun Vittorio Gassman into the deadly bayous of Louisiana.

With Joseph H. Lewis directing, you know you're going to get some interesting compositions, and some silly shots too. The latter occurs early on, when they're pursuing a suspect, who jumps on Angel's Flight and rides it to the top, while Conrad runs up beside it and emerges onto the street, not even breathing hard. Mostly though it's about Sullivan, am honest cop whom Gassman respects, while Conrad works over a witness who won't answer his questions -- just out of camera range, while Sullivan looks disgusted. That and strange Cajun culture and stock shots of alligator pulled from TRADER HORN. It's a good programmer, although a bit naive, looking back almost 70 years.

I actually enjoyed this film more than I expected. In contrast to other reviews here, I thought the writing was quite snappy and entertaining. I thought the cast was good in all the major roles and the chemistry between the characters was strong.

In particular, Barry Sullivan was a good leading man, and his relationship with his wife (Polly Bergen) was good. I haven't seen many films with those two so it was interesting to see them. I believe that Polly is the mother of Candace Bergen, and you can see some resemblance in her face and attitude.

Vittorio Gassman and William Conrad were also strong supporting roles.

It's not the best noir, but certainly worth seeing. I'm so glad I was able to find it on You Tube since my local library and my local video store had no copies of it....

This is a dark film, visually, and the heavy Cajun dialect inhibits communication. The leads are very good: Best I've seen from the underrated Barry Sullivan, and a very good turn by Vittorio Gassman.

Williams Conrad's character isn't likeable -- but he's terrific with it; best performance among the three male leads.

Strongest point is the dialogue, especially Sullivan-Gassman in the latter minutes of the show when they're camping near the bayou. Ending was somewhat predictable, almost too pat but understandable given Hollywood's needs via the production code and the idea of sending patrons (I gather there weren't many) home uplifted.

The parallel to The Fugitive TV series couldn't escape me, and it had nothing to do with Conrad narrating that terrific series.

Barry Sullivan, Vittorio Gassman, William Conrad, and Polly Bergen star in "Cry of the Hunted" from 1953.

Jory (Gassman) is housed in the state penitentiary, and the Warden wants the head of maximum security, Tunner (Sullivan), to convince Jory to reveal the name of his cohorts in a robbery.

After a huge physical altercation between Tunner and Jory, Jory agrees to name his fellow criminals. On his way to the DA's office, attached to Officer Goodwin (Conrad), there's a car accident, and Jory escapes. As others have mentioned, it's similar to the Fugitive scenario.

The warden sends Tunner to the Louisiana bayou, Jory's home, to find and return him to prison. No one explains Gassman's Italian accent, though I guess it's supposed to pass for perhaps Creole.

Jory manages to elude both Tunner and the local sheriff. When Tunner finally catches up with Jory, he agrees to return to prison if he can have some time with his wife (Mary Zavian). Tunner agrees. While alone with Ella, Jory learns he's the father of a young son, and then, taunted by Ella, refuses to go with Tunner. Ella prompty bashes Tunner over the head.

Tunner, delerious, drinks swamp water and winds up in the hospital. Goodwin and Tunner's wife (Bergen) come to the hospital. Tunner will not allow Goodwin to take over the case. The two set out on the bayou in a boat to search for Jory.

This is a small film, directed by the very excellent Joseph H. Lewis, so he makes the most of the film's budget and locations. The relationship between Jory and Tanner is the real story - they both respect one another, they are both in love with their wives, and they both have a sense of honor.

It's not perfect, but with the direction and acting, it's very good. The handsome Gassman was truly the Olivier of Italy, and throughout his career won many awards. He's very sympathetic. Sullivan turns in his usual solid performance.

It was apparent to me that at least in the first scenes, Polly Bergen's dialogue was looped. Turns out it was looped, all right, by another actress. Why, I don't know. It was a distraction for me because I hate dubbing.

There is a dream sequence while Tunner is hallucinating - it really could and should have been left out.

Nonetheless, worth watching.

Decent escaped convict pic. Joseph H Lewis, one of the auteurists' favorite 1950s directors, does a fairly good job, on a low budget (as per usual), of making the viewer forget that he or she is looking at the MGM back lot and not Bayou country. And the relationship between Vittorio Gassman and Barry Sullivan is nicely handled as well, with two of the best homo erotic fight scenes until the wrestling match in "Women In Love" came along. On the debit side you have a clunky screenplay by someone named Jack (I need an E) Leonard that, while providing some decent by play between William Conrad and Sullivan, severely truncates the ending so that the conflict between these two co workers, much more interesting, in my opinion, than the one between Sullivan and Gassman, is left unresolved. Most unsatisfying. And I concur with an earlier reviewer who observed that the female characters are either annoyingly perky (Polly Bergen) or annoyingly histrionic (Mary Zavian). Bottom line: I'd rather be watching Ray or Fuller. C plus.

It is funny, because when I started watching this film, I told a friend, "This film is so old, Polly Bergen sounds feminine." Then I read in trivia her voice is dubbed. William Conrad runs uphill, which is the only amazing thing about this film. I've forgotten the rest. Nice shot of the old Bunker Hill though.

A small marvel - but Warning: Swamp Proof Cigarettes...!

Seems there may be some viewers with expectations that are too high for small-budget works and maybe far too many pseudo-psychologists floating around to really do us much good...After reading certain comments I just about gave up taking the time to view this curious movie. It was the interesting title, combined with a marvelous cast and hard-working direction that convinced me, I had to at least watch it out of curiosity. What I saw took me by surprise, so much so I had to look further into how this little film could look so remarkable on such a modest budget.

The crew behind this overlooked gem, all surprisingly turn out to be veteran award winners! Cinematographer: the Russian-born Oscar-nominated Harold Lipstein (Pal Joey '57) ~ Art Direction: by no less than multiple award winner Cedric Gibbons along with fellow award winner Malcolm Brown. ~ Set Decoration: again by a multiple award winner: Edwin B. Willis and Oscar-nominated Ralph S. Hurst. ~ Film Editor: Oscar winner Conrad A. Nerving (Tale of Two Cities '35) ~ Special Effects: by A. Arnold Gillespie (Wizard of Oz '39) and Warren Newcombe (Singin In The Rain '53) both these men also multiple award winners! ~ In the Sound dept: none other than Douglas Shearer, yet another multiple award winner. How could this film not look anything but rather impressive? Still, some viewers expected more!

Add to the above a top cast with awards that just keep on coming: Vittorio Gassman as Jory, the desperate man on the run, a performer with honors stacked upon honors (Bitter Rice '49,Barabbas '61) ~ Emmy winner Polly Bergin: as the Detective's wife. ~ Barry Sullivan the Emmy nominated, constantly reliable performer, known for numerous strong roles (The Bad and the Beautiful '52) as the earnest detective totally dedicated to serving incorruptible justice.~ William Conrad as the sadistically inclined assistant to Sullivan (who also has his eye on his partner's job).

A couple of the support characters offer a not so subtle statement on some low-grade law enforcement attitudes - especially those to be found in backwoods counties during this era. It's here we find a good performance by reliable veteran, Harry Shannon as a very 'suss' sheriff. All this huge talent is then masterly guided by the highly-skilled and underrated winner of the distinguished Hollywood Film Artist award: Joseph H. Lewis.

As Director, Lewis has taken a screenplay by Jack Leonard who garnished an Oscar nomination just the year before with "The Narrow Margin". For this follow-up story, equally laced with observant comments and smart one-liners, Lewis turns it into a taught, exciting Bayou manhunt between two men with a high level of respect for each other's integrity (gained from earlier legal dealings) but,are now on opposing sides of justice.

I note that there are certain liberated Film Commentators who in retrospect - would now have us believe the men of this story are sexually attracted to each other...why so?, well seems it's because of the respect these men demonstrate toward each other (all fully understandable within the context of the story) - Consider one situation: after one has saved the other from a grueling certain death in quicksand they then, wait for it.... sit exhausted and quietly 'share' a pipe! "Hello"... I've heard of imagination but maybe these folk might consider using it with perhaps,a little more observance of cinematic intellect...?

Examining this aspect further; it's a documented fact that tobacco product manufacturers targeted personalities, filmmakers, actors, etc - 'donating' hundreds of thousands of dollars to ensure they would make all forms of smoking appear glamorous, and desirable, for both sexes of any age...Many times throughout the 30s -60s, foolish scenes (like the one being singled out in this film) would be deliberately 'written into' the screenplay for the sake of extra funding. In this particular case, it could not have been more obvious IE: - This pipe and tobacco had been crushed, immersed in swamp water, covered in mud (and quicksand!) but still they 'light-up' to pacify the weary heroes!.

Recent critiques I have read from Alain Silver, Elizabeth Ward & Eddie Muller, don't seem to take these facts into consideration - instead, they quite simply interpret such actions as being homosexual tendencies! Should we perhaps expect a little better from these folk...or is this simply about pushing another agenda - who can tell?

Now getting back to better ideas; There are a couple of particularly striking scenes...one where a swamp fever-infected, delusional Sullivan, suffers what can only be seen as a spectacular and rather frightening hallucination. This sequence is designed and executed by first-class artists and is vividly convincing.

Another involves Sullivan and his partner who, while taking refuge in an abandoned swamp Cemetery, come into contact with a demented mourner, quite chilling in its Shakespearian feel and quality. Apart from a few minor script potholes (typical of the era) this work needs to be looked at through eyes that understand the limitations these major/minor projects were forced to overcome and did so quite handsomely.

TCM has given us yet another lost gem - the image quality of the Australian print was not as good as others being screened so, very pleased to see W. B. Archives have now released it on DVD -while it's only a M. O. D. The quality is good.

Like small-budget classic dramas? ~ then this could be for you.

I like crime films a lot. So, the idea of a film about an escaped convict and a cop who doggedly follows him is one I'd probably like. However, "Cry of the Hunted" turns out to be pretty poor--mostly because the writer was 'slap-happy'--literally! Characters in the film are pretty one-dimensional and spend a lot of time slapping folks around--and they way the slap-ee (is this a word?!) reacts is even more bizarre. For example, early in the film, Lt. Tunner (Barry Sullivan) wants some information out of a prisoner--so he beats the crap out of him. Then, later in the film, after this prisoner escapes, the prisoner refuses to harm the Lieutenant when he has a chance! You'd think he'd at least deck him for having worked him over earlier--but instead he inexplicably likes him! And, when Tunner and his assistant (William Conrad) are out in the bayou looking for the escapee, the assistant takes a local behind his shack and slaps him around to get information! Only moments later, the prisoner and his woman get in an argument and, surprise, surprise, he slaps her across the face--at which point she kisses him very passionately!!! I tell you, the writer was slap-happy--and reinforced some bizarre clichés about violence!

This is not my only complaint about the movie. Much of the dialog is bad but the plot really doesn't make any sense. A prisoner from the bayou escapes back to the waterways he knows so well. So, the Lieutenant and only one assistant follow him--determined to get him. This makes no sense, as the Louisiana back country is a maze of waterways, islands and ferocious creatures. Yet, two lawmen are going to somehow find a man who grew up there AND who is being aided by the locals. Yeah, right. And this makes sense to whom?!

The bottom line is that the film is chock full of bad writing. Despite a decent story idea, the film manages to blow it.

If anyone noticed Cry Of The Hunted at least it seemed to me to be a remake of a film did by MGM in 1852, The Wild North. That's where Stewart Granger plays a fugitive fur trapper in the Yukon and Wendell Corey the Mountie out to get his man.

The location moves a few thousand miles south to the Louisiana bayou where Cajun prisoner Vittorio Gassmann escapes cop William Conrad and heads for the bayou swamp which he knows.

Another cop Barry Sullivan takes it as a personal insult that Gassman escaped since he tried to befriend him and goes after him despite warnings from the locals that there's parts of the bayou they don't go into.

Most of the film is Sullivan and Gassman alone and they talk a lot as each tries to figure the other out. Polly Bergen has a good turn as Sullivan's wife.

Best in the film Mary Zavian as Gassman's woman and one deadly Cajun temptress. Her scenes are worth the wait.

First, don't confound this film with other "swamp" films: SWAMP WATER, LURE OF THE WILDERNESS and LURE OF THE SWAMP. This scheme, this topic reminds me something, what about you? Replace Vittorio Gassman by David Janssen and you'll rapidly know what I mean by this. But there are some differences though, Gassman's character is guilty of what he is accused of, and Barry Sullivan's role is more sympathetic than the Javert - from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables - like character of THE FUGITIVE. But the most important thing for me is the relationship between Barry Sullivan - the cop - and the fugitive. Some kind of relationship between friendship, very subtle, and of course adversity. Actually, Sullivan has here the reverse role he had in SEVEN WAYS FROM SUNDOWN, co starring Audie Murphy, where Murphy was the Ranger chasing Sullivan the fugitive. There was also this kind of strange companionship between two of them. This Jo Lewis film is very good, maybe not as excellent as GUN CRAZY, but really worth watching. Made for MGM. If you like bayou, swamp stories, I advise an episode from SCHLITZ PLAYHOUSE TV show, an episode called RABBIT'S FOOT, starring Stephen mc Nally.

Actor Barry Sullivan plays a cop named Lieutenant Turner who believes he can turn another persons life around come hell or high water. In this case the high water takes Lieutenant Turner into the hot water swamps of the Louisiana Bayou to recapture an escaped prisoner named Jory played by Vittorio Gassman. Jory behaves more like a wild dog who serves two masters trying to control his animalistic behaviour.

One of Jory's attempted masters is Lieutenant Turner who first tries to break him by beating him in a fair fight behind his prison cell. When an opportunity presents itself, Jory takes advantage of a car accident while he is being transported by the overweight guard Goodwin played by William Conrad.

While on the run Jory is assisted in his escape by his second and more conniving master, his temptress wife Ella who tries very hard to break the control that Jory's first master Lieutenant Turner seems to have over him.

These two masters, much like two different dog trainers approach would take, one by nurture, and the other by nature and bringing out the animal instincts that are imbedded in all human beings lead Jory to struggle on which master will become the alpha.

Much of the struggle between good and evil takes place between Lieutenant Turner and Jory alone in the Louisiana Bayou, apart from their wives, and desperately fighting for their survival which each man needs the other if they are to continue living and get out of the swamps alive.

The premise of the film has all the ingredients of a classic crime/drama novel brought to life. Who will win the struggle for survival and/or law and order? The stage is set but the execution is somewhat missing that intense challenge in this crime/drama/action film. It's a decent time waster but I felt the latter half of the film appeared to reflect more like what would happen to an over inflated balloon that maybe just burst loudly, but instead this taunt balloon slowly fizzles and tries out letting out a final pfffft before finally deflating to the storyline "THE END".

I give the film a disappointing 4 out of 10 IMDB rating.

I only got about half through this snooze-fest, because I just couldn't care less about the characters. The convict whose been locked in solitary, isn't believable as crazy. The cop's not believable as anything, and I don't care about the story.

But I drew the line, when the main character comes home and tells his wife (semi jokingly) that she needs to lose a few pounds. He also asks where his dinner is etc. BTW, she already had his dinner in the oven, martinis in the fridge, and is about a size 4. I get that he's kinda joking around, but that's not really the feel of the scene, and it comes off pretty offensive.

There are so many better choices, pick anything else.

Liked the idea - a manhunt in the Louisiana bayou. But the witty banter isn't witty, and the script is chock full of illogical decisions and sudden, inexplicable changes in the behavior of some characters. Good scenery and atmosphere made it worth the time investment, but just this once.

Prison guard Lt. Tunner is doing his best to interrogate prisoner Jory who is a prisoner locked up in maximum security. Tunner wants him to name his accomplices. His transport gets into an accident and he makes an escape. Tunner goes on a manhunt.

This starts as a basic Fugitive movie. I'm more than happy to do basic. Then Tunner catches up to Jory and the characters stop making sense. Tunner does certain questionable things. They both do less than reasonable. It all detracts from the intensity. Then we're back to basic and it's too light. I don't like Tunner's tone. This is no Fugitive. The basic would have been fine. The swamp is a good backdrop and the locals are nice. The several questionable things do hold it back from being passable.

Joseph Lewis had proven in 1950 that he could direct a prototypical noir with "Gun Crazy" a relatively low-budget B-movie that many people believe would inspire the makers of "Bonnie & Clyde" years later. This movie from 1953 isn't in the same league as "Gun Crazy." It stars Vittorio Gassman as Jory, the fugitive who flees to the bayous of Louisiana, Barry Sullivan as the lawman obsessed with apprehending him, and William Conrad as some guy obsessed with why Sullivan is obsessed. Polly Bergen is mostly unused and unnecessary playing a romantic interest for the lawman. But I liked the scene utilizing the quicksand, literally and (always) as metaphor. 5/10.