Before there was the iconic film Bonnie and Clyde, there was Gun Crazy. A passionate, violent noir thriller from 1950, it has stood the test of time and remains an extremely important film from the time period. Directed by Joseph H. Lewis, Gun Crazy stood out from the crowd during the noir boom for its torrid love affairs, daring femme fatales, and action sequences. The film stars Peggy Cummins and John Dahl, and both give simmering performances that make it an epic, lovers-on-the-run saga, as well as solidifying it as a classic American film.
Co-written by Dalton Trumbo while he was blacklisted from Hollywood and MacKinlay Kantor, Trumbo used the alias Millard Kaufman for its credits. It was based upon the short story, The Saturday Evening Post, and the film is a tight, 90-minute escapade of crime. Due to code restrictions in Hollywood at the time, Cummins and Dahl’s on-screen affair couldn’t be explored as it could have been otherwise, but the actors’ performances are riveting nonetheless, and a main reason for why the film remains the sultry noir it is.
What Is ‘Gun Crazy’ About?

Dahl stars as the gun-crazed gentleman, Bart Tare, who has lived his life with one thing on his mind: guns. Long before the fame of West Side Story, a young Russ Tamblyn plays the kid Bart, who winds up in court after he tries stealing a gun from the store, simply because he’s obsessed. Fast-forward many years, and Bart has returned home after serving in the army teaching marksmanship. He then stumbles upon the enigmatic sharpshooter, Annie Laurie Starr, who is in town with a carnival show, and the two fall for each other. Sharing a mutual love for guns, Annie leaves the carnival, and the two get married. They then begin a bank robbing spree and quickly become wanted criminals and killers. As Bart struggles with the morality of what they’re doing, Annie descends into violence, leaving them both crazed.
‘Gun Crazy’ Has One of the Most Violent, Wild Femme Fatales in Noir

Anyone who loves noir knows that femme fatales are bad news but brilliant in their boldness. Peggy Cummins is excellent as Annie, who harbors a thirst for murder and carnage. She was ahead of her time as the one calling the shots in her relationship with Bart and has fantastic lines like, “No guts, no nothing. I want action.” Cummins plays her like a hungry animal, and a ticking time bomb that starts to go off once they begin robbing banks. She is what keeps the film on its toes, with unpredictable energy, and the soul of a killer blossoming before our eyes.
One of the most exciting sequences in the film comes when Annie and Bart rob their first bank. The sequence is well-known because it’s remarkably shot in one take, which would be difficult for any filmmaker, but especially considering the time period it was shot in. Director Lewis films the action sequences so creatively, with P.O.V. shots from behind the couple as they pull up to the bank and rob it, only to run out and drive away in their getaway car once again. It places us in the position of the police and witnesses, as we see this unattainable force of evil and violence driving away, just out of our reach.
Dalton Trumbo Wrote the Screenplay for ‘Gun Crazy’ While Blacklisted

Image via United Artists

Gun Crazy is a story about obsession and mutual self-destruction. Trumbo fully gets under the skin of both Bart and Annie with co-writer, Kantor, and makes them the personification of good versus evil. But it’s a miracle Trumbo was even able to write the film, due to him being blacklisted from Hollywood at the time, which led to the alias Millard Kaufman. He was blacklisted as there was a growing panic about the rise of communism beginning in the ’40s, which then bled into Hollywood. He refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee as it investigated possible communist ideas getting incorporated into film, which led to his banishment. Trumbo wrote several other movies during this time, including the beloved Roman Holiday.
Gun Crazy ultimately wonders if we have bad born into us or thrust upon us, like Annie thrusts her dark nature upon Bart. Director Lewis aids those themes in Trumbo’s script with excellent direction. Visually stark, drab, and gray, the only excitement that comes for the two main lovers is in the thrill of the steal and chase. Annie often wears black and is shot in the shadows to fully annunciate the blackness in her soul. For Bart, he remains in light colors, as he has an aversion to killing, but a love for guns. The ending is one of noir’s best and bleakest, with Bart paying the ultimate sacrifice for his need to be good, while Annie pays the price for her ultimate need to be bad.
Gun Crazy is available to rent or buy on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

Gun Crazy

Release Date

January 20, 1950

Director

Joseph H. Lewis

Cast

John Dall
, Peggy Cummins
, Berry Kroeger
, Morris Carnovsky
, Anabel Shaw
, Harry Lewis
, Nedrick Young
, Trevor Bardette
, Russ Tamblyn
, David Bair
, Stanley Prager
, Virginia Farmer
, Mickey Little
, Anne O’Neal
, Paul Frison
, Robert Osterloh
, Frances Irvin
, Shimen Ruskin
, Harry Hayden
, John Alban
, Tony Barr
, Don Beddoe
, Joseph Crehan
, Eddie Dunn
, Dick Elliott

Runtime

87 minutes

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