Shield for Murder (1954)

For much of the Golden Age of Hollywood, corrupt police officers were rarely seen on the big screen. Much of the reason for this was probably because in the MPAA Production Code's list of subjects that must be treated with special care were "...titles or scenes having to do with law enforcement or law-enforcing officers." By the late Forties the Production Code had started to weaken, so that dishonest cops began to appear increasingly on screen, particularly in film noir. Among the movies that featured a very corrupt cop was Shield for Murder (1954).

In Shield for Murder the years have taken their toll on police detective Lieutenant Barney Nolan (Edmond O'Brien). Once a good cop, he has grown jaded and even downright dishonourable. Indeed, in the first few minutes of Shield for Murder, he shoots a bookie in the back and then takes $25,000 from the dead body. Barney's cover story is that he had to shoot the bookie because he had tried to get away. Both his friend Sergeant Mark Brewster (John Agar) and the chief of detectives, Captain Gunnarson (Emile Meyer) initially believe Barney's story, but as Barney tries to cover his tracks, it becomes obvious to Mark that Barney's behaviour has not been at all above board.

Shield for Murder was based on the 1951 novel of the same name by William P. McGivern. William P. McGivern may be best remembered for the novel The Big Heat, upon which the 1953 film of the same name was based. Mr. McGivern wrote two other novels about corrupt cops, both of which would be adapted as motion pictures: the 1954 novel Rogue Cop, adapted as the 1954 film of the same name, and the 1957 novel Odds Against Tomorrow, adapted as the 1959 movie of the same name.

While Shield for Murder features one of Edmond O'Brien's best performances, he was not producer Aubrey Schenck's first choice for the film. In the April 13 1952 issue of Variety, it was reported that he planned to produce Shield for Murder with Dana Andrews in the lead. The April 22 1954 issue of The Los Angeles Times reported that shooting on Shield for Murder would begin in May and Edmond O'Brien would be the lead and "production advisor." Finally, Edmond O'Brien was announced as the film's co-director with Howard W. Koch.

Shield for Murder would mark the directorial debut for Edmond O'Brien. Edmond O'Brien had long wanted to direct, and over the years there had been a few projects to which his name had been attached. In 1952 it he was announced as the director of a film to be called The Murder, but unfortunately the script wound up being sold to RKO, where it became the movie Angel Face (1953), directed by Otto Preminger. He had hopes of both directing and acting in a film called A Few Flowers for Shiner, based on a story by Richard Llewellyn (author of How Green Was My Valley), but that project fell through and the movie was never made.With Shield for Murder he finally got his chance to direct.

Shield for Murder (1954) premiered in New York City on August 27 1954, and was released the following month. It did very well at the box office. In the book It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Tradition by Tom Weaver, producer Aubrey Schrenck said of Shield for Murder, "That money grossed a lot  of money, you wouldn't believe how much; on television it made a fortune." Shield for Murder also received its share of positive reviews. In The New York Times The reviewer wrote of the film, "The story is intelligent and unstrained; qualities too rarely seen in films of this genre. There is little or no padding (a major achievement) and, although the direction sometimes smacks of haste, talent is definitely indicated." According to the biography Edmond O'Brien: Everyman of Film Noir by Derek Sculthorpe, not every critic thought so highly of Shield for Murder, with some having problems with the film's story.

One person who was not a fan of Shield for Murder was Lloyd T. Binford, the notorious Chairman of the Memphis Board of Censors. The film was banned from theatres in Memphis, Tennessee. The Memphis Board of Censors' Chairman stated Shield for Murder was banned because "it appears to be a burlesque of the police department." In his letters to United Artists, Binford wrote, "It is a shady picture reflecting on the police department with apparently one half of the actors dumbells and the other half crooks; with most of the women of questionable character. There were no uniforms on any of the police force or officers." In response United Artist said that there were two women in the film, one a girl in a bar and the other the detective's ladylike fiance. They also pointed out that the police officers' lack of uniforms would seem to be explained by the fact that they are detectives, plainclothesmen.

Edmond O'Brien is one of the names most associated with film noir, having appeared in such films as The Killers (1946), D.O.A. (1949), and The Hitch-Hiker (1953), among other noirs. Despite this, Shield for Murder is not particularly well-known, even if it isn't exactly obscure either. There is every reason it should be better known, as it numbers among Mr. O'Brien's best films. Shield for Murder was strong stuff for 1954, and it remains intense to this day. Indeed, it is in the first few minutes of the film that Barney Nolan murders the bookmaker, setting the film's plot in motion. Never before and never again would Edmond O'Brien play a character quite as disturbing as  Barney Nolan. He delivers a brutal beating to private detectives. At one point he even slaps his girlfriend. Worst of all, he kills with little in the way of remorse.

The supporting cast delivers performances as fine as that of Edmond O'Brien. John Agar is convincing as Barney's best friend and partner, Mark Brewster, who comes to realize that Barney has lost any sense of decency. Marla English delivers a fine performance as Barney's girlfriend in what is quite possibly the most difficult role in the film. The rest of the cast also does well, from Carolyn Jones in a small part as a woman in a bar to Herb Butterfield as reporter Cabot, the first person to doubt Barney's story about the bookie's death.

Shield for Murder is not often seen on television, but fortunately it is available on DVD and is available on YouTube. It is a tough-minded film noir that has lost very little of its ability to shock even today. Although it might not be as well known as such classics as Double Indemnity (1944) or Out of the Past (1947), it is very much one of those essential movies that any film noir fan should make a point to see.