The Sniper (1952)

The Sniper is a 1952 black-and-white film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk, written by Harry Brown, and based on a story by Edna and Edward Anhalt. The film features Adolphe Menjou, Arthur Franz, Gerald Mohr, Marie Windsor, among others.

The film marks Dmytryk's return to directing after he had first been named to the Hollywood blacklist and had a jail term for contempt of Congress. He chose to testify in April 1951, and named fellow members of leftist organizations from his brief time with the Communist Party. Afterward, he went into political exile in England for a time. Producer Stanley Kramer was the first to hire him again as a director. He was "required to direct Adolphe Menjou, one of the most virulent Red-baiters of the HUAC hearings."

Synopsis

Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz), a San Francisco delivery man, struggles with his hatred of women. He's especially bothered by seeing women with their lovers. Miller knows he is disturbed and, out of despair, burns himself by pressing his right hand to an electric stove. The doctor treating him in an emergency room suspects he might need psychological help, but gets too busy to follow through.

Actors