Criss Cross (1948) is an American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak that plunges the audience into a dark, fatalistic world of obsessive love and impending disaster. The story centers on Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster), a man who returns to Los Angeles trying to leave his past behind. He takes back his old job as a driver for an armored car company, a symbol of the honest, steady life he hopes to maintain. However, Steve can’t shake his deep, lingering obsession with his beautiful and volatile ex-wife, Anna (Yvonne De Carlo).
Despite his family’s and friends’ warnings about Anna’s
manipulative nature, Steve inevitably crosses paths with her again, immediately
reigniting a passionate but doomed romance. The situation is complicated by the
fact that Anna is now married to Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea), a local gangster and
nightclub owner. Steve’s renewed relationship with Anna forces him into a
dangerous love triangle, quickly pushing him away from his attempts at a clean
start and back toward the corrupting influences of the criminal underworld.
This relentless attraction to a woman who is demonstrably bad for him sets the
stage for the escalating tragedy.
As the plot unfolds, Steve becomes trapped in a tangled web
of deceit and double-crosses, where no one—not Anna, not Slim, and certainly
not Steve himself—can be completely trusted. The film masterfully builds a
sense of inescapable doom as the intricate plan for the heist is set in motion.
Criss Cross is a powerful, stylish examination of human weakness,
desire, and betrayal, showcasing how a single, consuming obsession can
irrevocably lead a man down a path to his own destruction.
 |
| Yvonne De Carlo and Burt Lancaster |
Robert Siodmak (1900 – 1973) had a very successful career in Hollywood and is best known for his thrillers and films noir. He signed a seven-year contract with Universal and directed The Killers (1946), the film that made Ava Gardner a star. He worked with some of the top movie stars during Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly, Burt Lancaster, Dorothy McGuire, Yvonne de Carlo, Olivia de Havilland, and Barbara Stanwyck. Often compared to Hitchcock in his prime, he never got the recognition that the Master of Suspense did, but most of his films hold up remarkably well and are worth watching.
Burt Lancaster (1913- 1994) was an American
actor and producer. He won a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance
in Elmer Gantry (1960). Lancaster made his film debut in The
Killers (1946). After the release of that film, he was on his way as a
leading man, starring in quick succession Desert Fury (1947), Brute
Force (1947), Variety Girl (1947), I Walk
Alone (1947), All My Sons (1948), and Sorry,
Wrong Number (1948). Other popular films starring Lancaster
include The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Jim Thorpe
All-American (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), The
Rose Tattoo (1955), and Birdman of Alcatraz (1962).
Yvonne De Carlo (1922 – 2007) was a Canadian-American
actress, dancer, and singer whose career spanned six decades across film,
television, and stage. She first rose to prominence in the 1940s and 1950s as a
Hollywood film star, gaining recognition in lavish Technicolor productions like
Salome, Where She Danced (1945) and often being cast in exotic or
adventurous roles, including her notable turn in the film noir Criss Cross
(1949). Her film career peaked when she played Sephora, the wife of Moses, in
Cecil B. DeMille’s epic The Ten Commandments (1956). She gained renewed
fame with a new generation of fans in the 1960s for her enduring role as Lily
Munster, the glamorous matriarch, in the popular CBS sitcom The Munsters
(1964–1966).
Dan Duryea (1907 – 1968) was an American film,
stage, and television actor. He is best known for his character roles as
villains, but he had a long career that included a variety of lead and second
lead roles. Duryea graduated from Cornell University in 1928. In his senior
year, he was the president of the college drama society. Duryea went to
Hollywood in 1940 to play Leo Hubbard in The Little Foxes, a role he
created on Broadway. He established himself in films noir, costarring in
classics like Scarlet Street (1945), Criss Cross (1948),
and Too Late for Tears (1949).
Criss Cross trivia
- Reunion of Noir Veterans: The film reunited director Robert Siodmak and star Burt Lancaster, along with composer Miklós Rózsa, all of whom had previously collaborated on the highly successful 1946 film noir classic, The Killers. The two movies share the thematic elements of a doomed protagonist drawn back into crime by a manipulative woman.
- Uncredited Star Debut: A very young and uncredited Tony Curtis makes a brief appearance in the film. He can be spotted as an extra dancing with Yvonne De Carlo’s character, Anna, in the lively nightclub scene at “The Round-Up.”
- Los Angeles Location as a Character: Criss Cross was shot extensively on location in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles. This area, known for its steep hills, Victorian architecture, and rundown boarding houses, was a popular setting for classic film noirs, and its gritty, precarious atmosphere adds to the movie’s sense of fatalism. Much of the architecture seen in the film was later demolished in the 1950s and 60s due to redevelopment.
- Novel Adaptation: The film is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Don Tracy. While the novel provided the core plot, the film adaptation, scripted by Daniel Fuchs, amplified the key elements of film noir, including the complex flashback structure, the fatalistic voice-over narration, and the overwhelming sense of doom.
Click HERE to watch the movie on the Internet Archive.
Click HERE to join the online discussion on Monday, November
24, 2025, at 6:30 p. m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you’ll receive a link with
an invitation to join the discussion on Zoom.
Discussion questions
- The Nature of Obsession and Fate: The film utilizes a flashback structure that essentially reveals the ending in the very first scene. How does knowing Steve Thompson's ultimate fate from the beginning affect the audience's viewing experience? Does this structure amplify the fatalism and obsessive nature of his choices, or does it simply reduce the suspense?
- The Archetype of the Femme Fatale: How does Anna (Yvonne De Carlo) embody the classic film noir archetype of the femme fatale? Is she truly evil and manipulative, or is she also a victim of her circumstances and the limited opportunities available to women in her environment? How does her character compare to other famous film noir women?
- Moral Compromise and the American Dream: Steve Thompson returns to Los Angeles determined to live an honest, working-class life, but his desires quickly derail him. How does the film comment on the idea of the American Dream or the possibility of redemption? At what point does Steve cross the moral line, and is his downfall inevitable regardless of his choices?
- Style and Setting in Noir: The film makes extensive use of location shooting in the atmospheric, now-demolished Bunker Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles. How do the movie's visual style—specifically the use of low-key lighting (chiaroscuro), shadows, and gritty urban settings—reflect and enhance the themes of desperation, moral corruption, and entrapment in the story?
