Somewhere between heaven and hell or the first-rate noir of second-rate cinema Sometimes one can only be amazed at how powerful, deep, interesting and, most importantly, much more watchable than modern films came out in bundles with the light hand of American filmmakers even long after the end of the golden era. One of these, in all respects, well-coordinated films is the film directed by Richard Fleischer, who worked mainly in the field of entertainment Hollywood films, which, nevertheless, retained the author’s imprint. “The Narrow Edge” is essentially a compilation of genres – on the one hand it is a representative of noir with its gloomy atmosphere and heavy moral problems, on the other – a dynamic police action movie made according to the canons of the genre, and on the third – a thriller with suspense interspersed, imitated by Hitchcock and is an interpretation of the concept of the legendary picture “Lady disappears” (later Fleischer will also create a remake of the cult “Ropes”). With the picture of Sir Alfred “The Thin Line” has in common not only mystery and stunning plot twists, but also courage in a purely technical respect.
Almost all the action of the tape, except for the first fifteen minutes, takes place on the train. Keeping the viewer’s attention to what is happening within one location, and even constantly increasing the degree of dynamics is one of the most difficult tasks for the director, which Richard Fleischer set for himself, who decided to take his rightful place in the cohort of true masters after “five years of apprenticeship”. To really understand how much force this kind of picture required in the early fifties of the last century, two factors must be taken into account. First, the shooting equipment did not allow you to throw out any tricks that even a student with a smartphone can do today. Any long plan, hitch or passage of the camera required painstaking planning. In the case of The Thin Edge, additional difficulties arose in connection with the tiny locations, of which there are actually only three in the film - a small coupe, a corridor and a restaurant car. Fleischer and his cameraman George Diskent literally turn inside out - each plan hits exactly the goal, each angle is chosen unmistakably, because in this case, it is simply impossible to make a mistake. In this film you will not find any rapid flybys of the camera, nor amazing viewing angles. On the contrary, the shooting point is absolutely standard, but its effectiveness is stunning. Fleischer, like a virtuoso musician playing on a crooked violin, confidently keeps the rhythm and folds the melody so harmoniously that it is simply impossible to notice any shortcomings of the instrument.
The second factor is the lack of budget. This tape is a true representative of paintings of category B. However, in this category she became exemplary and made it clear that patience, work and professionalism can overcome any financial constraints. After the premiere, the New York Times wrote about the film: “This unclaimed work will glue everyone to the edge of the chair and prove, once and for all, that small things can be done in a way that will cost a lot.” Subsequently, “The Fine Line” was considered a short course of high-level directing for films of category B, serving as a visual guide for beginner directors.
However, it is worth noting that the merits of the picture are not exhausted by the technical component. Another feature is the hidden discursive saturation of the plot. At first glance, the story in the “Thin Frontier” is purely nominal and serves only as a springboard for the unfolding of the action. However, with a deeper analysis, it will be found that the problems of the tape are quite ambiguous, and behind the facade of typical plot developments and seemingly standard moves lie dark abyss of insoluble paradoxes, in connection with which this picture is often referred to as absolute noir.
At first, the action unfolds in a typical form - two cool cops Walter Brown and Gus Forbes are tasked with transporting the widow of a gangster to Los Angeles for important testimony. Along the way, Gus dies from a bullet, just a stone's throw from retirement. Walter is seriously suffering from the fact that in this world his older colleague was left with a wife and two daughters without means of subsistence. Then he has to know all the baseness of the soul of his ward, which is clearly unworthy of such sacrifices. Soon, widow hunters come up with a business proposal to exchange the witness for money that could be very useful to the family of the deceased comrade. And is there any point in this whole transportation venture if the criminals still pay off and go free? However, having relocated himself, Walter refuses the deal. Alas, in vain, because the witness will still be killed, and the family of Gus will be left penniless.
But it’s not even this purely noir twist that makes The Fine Line a representative of the genre, but the truly stunning plot twist that makes the film at the very end, turning the entire narrative model on its head. Of course, it was he who brought the film an Oscar nomination for best screenplay, and also brought it to the category of first-rate representatives of “true noir”. In the end, it will turn out that it is absolutely meaningless not only the death of the widow and Gus, but also the “heroic” risk of Walter, who de facto is the cause of all the problems. Simply put, with the complete passivity of the hero, as well as his acceptance of the offer of criminals, everything would turn out for the better.
Fleischer clearly represents that “fine line” of good and evil, duty and personal interests, which is highly mobile and arbitrary. It is only at the end of the film that we realize that black has always been white, widows are not widows, that death is never just, and human life is still worth no more than a box of candy. In the final, the director seems to change the entire ontology of the film, by simply shifting the point of view on what is happening. In many ways, the ending is reminiscent of the finale of “Boat”, which also in a radical form expresses the entire absurdity of being and the uselessness of heroic achievements. There is no universally accepted dichotomy of good and evil, good and bad, in the world of Boat and Thin Edge, it is a world of bare factuality in which there are only two states - either you are alive or you are dead. There's no third. However, it is worth noting that Fleischer, obviously at the request of the producers, slightly retouches the gloom prevailing over the film, attaching a kind of happy ending to the picture. It is obvious that this is dictated not by his author’s vision, but by censorship considerations and the will of sponsors.
As a result, “The Thin Line” is one of those most significant, but forgotten and unpopular films of the past. Filmed in thirteen days, on a penny budget and with little-known actors, after sixty years in viewability, it can easily compete with any modern picture that costs tens of millions to produce. It is interesting that the famous tycoon and adventurer Howard Hughes was so impressed with “The Thin Edge” that he came to Fleischer with a suitcase of money and an offer for a good fee to reshoot the film on a wide foot with the stars of the first magnitude, to which the director without thinking replied politely with a refusal. Apparently, the real creators handouts are contraindicated.