World for Ransom

This film is a bit lower on the production level scale than the James Bond films which were about to follow. Actually two or three levels; but this is Dan Duryea's best film. He gives a really good performance in this one.

The movie has elements of several "commie" films of the late 40s and early 50s during the Joe McCarthy and lovable Roy Cohn period. However, the British have everything well in hand here since the setting is Singapore.

The triangle among Duryea, Knowles and Marian Carr is vaguely interesting as well. Knowles and Carr are shallow and a perfect match for each other. The plot revolves around the kidnapping of a nuclear scientist in Singapore. Duryea and Knowles are working the opposite sides of the street on this one. You can probably figure out how it ends, but it is worth viewing.

World For Ransom(1954) is an odd item from filmography of Robert Aldrich as it is not as well known as some of his other movies. This is an overlooked movie that would provide a sketch for Kiss Me Deadly(1955). Dan Duryea gives a very good performance as well as Patric Knowles and Marian Carr. The plot of the film recalls The Third Man(1949) because its also about a friend of the protagonist who may be villainous and the woman who torn between her husband and her friend. It is well paced and filled with action and intrigue. World For Ransom(1954) is an exciting movie by a man who would later do terrific films like Kiss Me Deadly(1955) and The Dirty Dozen(1967).

Soldier of fortune Dan Duryea finds himself helping out Singapore governor Douglas Dumbrille in tracking down nuclear scientist Arthur Shields -- apparently he knows how to build a working H-bomb and always carries the pieces with him, perhaps as a party trick -- while trying to persuade chanteuse Mariann Carr to leave husband Patric Knowles.

Director Robert Aldrich apparently shot this noirish programmer in 11 days as either a film version of Duryea's "China Smith" TV show, or perhaps an attempt to change his movie image. Duryea had been around for more than a decade, a highly capable actor who seemed most notable playing weak-kneed psychopaths. Perhaps it was his resemblance to Richard Widmark, who made his movie debut playing that sort of character, and who surmounted the typecasting, that held Duryea back. Who needed another Widmark, except as a threat to keep Widmark's price down? There's little doubt that Duryea was a capable performer; sity movies and hundreds of TV apperances demonstrated that. He died in 1968, aged 61.

Unknown early work from Robert Aldrich, who took borrowed from so many Noir genre the private detective for a change, the plot is quite insane, a weird kidnapping of a famous nuclear scientist specialized on H-bomb, then Duryea starts searching for some clues, his former partner who have some ghost to hide, a connection with a powerful business man self-titled as investor should be a hint, the army were in charge to find out the hideout of the gang, but Dan Duryea comes first, the valuable casting as Gene Lockhart, Patrick Knowles, Nigel Bruce, Marian Carr and Douglas Drumbrille weren't able to bring the picture on high path, due so weak storyline, nevertheless has their moments, Duryea endorses that he hadn't any propensity to be a hero, more suitable for a crook's role, that was underlined many years before on those classy Noir!!!

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First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

"World for Ransom" is set in Singapore. A gang of crooks have just kidnapped a top nuclear scientist and have done so to auction him off to the highest bidder. Because one of the crooks is a good friend with Mike (Dan Duryea), authorities think he, too, might be involved. But Mike is a standup guy and it takes most of the film to prove he's no communist.

This film is a nice example of Dan Duryea's work as a non-supporting actor or villain...both things he was mostly known for doing. Here he's tough and well cast and the film is never dull. Believable? Perhaps not so much...but it is well worth seeing and is a nice example of Cold War cinema.