They Made Me a Fugitive (1947)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

They Made Me a Fugitive (1947) – A. Cavalcanti

British post-war noir that sees ex-RAF flyer Clem Morgan (Trevor Howard) dabbling in black marketeering as a result of his restlessness back in civilian life.  But the gang he winds up in, led by nasty Narcy (short for Narcissus, played by Griffith Jones), starts dealing in drugs not just cigarettes.  So, Morgan wants out – but before this can happen, Narcy double-crosses him and sets him up for a fall that results in a 15-year prison sentence.  Narcy also steals Morgan’s girl, which leads Narcy’s own ex (Sally Gray) to start working to get Morgan freed from prison (by getting witness Soapy to talk to the cops).  Before this can happen, Morgan breaks out of jail on his own and what follows is a cat-and-mouse chase as Morgan tries to track down Narcy and his gang while the cops are hot on his tail.  Sally and Soapy’s girl Cora are taken hostage.  It doesn’t end well for anyone.  Indeed, the dark ending is what puts this film (from Ealing Studios’ Cavalcanti) firmly in the noir genre; before that, it seemed to be a finely observed and stylish adventure tale with an ambiguous “hero” headed for the typical “redemption” ending where the hero saves his skin by catching the baddies by himself and turning them over to the cops.  Once upon a time, Hollywood would have done it this way but noir changed all that and, here, the Brits take their turn.  Worth a look.