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Dick Powell was pissed. Well, his character was. In 1945, audiences weren't used to seeing the "crooner" look like he wanted to bite a hole through a radiator, but that’s exactly what happened when the cast of Cornered 1945 hit the screen. It’s a nasty, sweaty, paranoid piece of film noir that doesn't get half the credit it deserves compared to heavy hitters like The Big Sleep.
If you’re looking into the cast of Cornered 1945, you’re likely trying to figure out why these faces look so familiar yet so hauntingly out of place. This wasn't just another post-war thriller. It was a political statement wrapped in a revenge plot. It’s about Laurence Gerard, a Canadian airman who survives the war only to find his wife was murdered by Vichy collaborators. He goes on a hunt. He ends up in Argentina. Things get messy.
The Man Who Killed the Crooner: Dick Powell
Dick Powell is the engine here. Honestly, before 1944, the guy was mostly known for singing in gold-digging musicals. Then Murder, My Sweet happened. By the time he joined the cast of Cornered 1945, Powell had fully leaned into this "angry middle-aged man" persona. He plays Laurence Gerard with a vibrating intensity. You can almost smell the cheap tobacco and the obsession on him.
He wasn't just acting.
Powell was fighting for his career. He hated being the pretty boy. In Cornered, his performance is jagged. He’s not a suave detective; he’s a grieving husband who is probably suffering from what we’d now call PTSD. He doesn't trade quips. He trades blows.
Walter Slezak and the Banality of Evil
Then there’s Walter Slezak. If Powell is the fire, Slezak is the oil. He plays Melchior Incza. Slezak was a master at playing these jovial, sophisticated men who could order a gourmet meal and a political assassination in the same breath. In the cast of Cornered 1945, he represents the slippery nature of post-war fascism.
He’s charming. He’s helpful. He’s also a snake.
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Slezak’s performance is vital because it anchors the film’s paranoia. You never quite know if he’s a double agent, a triple agent, or just a guy looking to make a buck off the ruins of Europe. His chemistry with Powell is fascinating because they operate on completely different frequencies—Powell is direct and blunt, while Slezak is all curves and shadows.
The Supporting Players: More Than Just Background
The cast of Cornered 1945 is rounded out by a group of character actors who give the Argentinian setting—mostly shot on RKO backlots, let’s be real—a sense of claustrophobic dread.
- Micheline Cheirel: Playing Madeleine Jarnac, she brings a cold, distant French elegance. She’s the widow of the man Gerard is hunting. Or is she? Her performance is understated, which is necessary because everyone else is so dialed up.
- Nina Vale: As Rourelle, she adds a layer of "femme fatale light," though the movie doesn't lean into the trope as hard as others of the era.
- Morris Carnovsky: This is a big one. Carnovsky plays Santana. If you know your film history, Carnovsky was a titan of the Group Theatre. He brings a gravitas to the role of the underground resistance leader that feels almost too heavy for a 102-minute thriller.
Why the Direction Matters as Much as the Actors
You can't talk about the cast of Cornered 1945 without mentioning Edward Dmytryk. He directed this thing right before he became one of the "Hollywood Ten." The guy was a master of shadow. He used the cast to highlight the "unreliable" nature of the world after 1945.
The lighting is harsh.
It’s the kind of lighting that makes even the "good guys" look like villains. This was intentional. Dmytryk and the screenwriter, John Paxton (working from a story by Ben Hecht), wanted to show that the war hadn't really ended for everyone. The actors were tools in a larger, very grim shed.
The Argentina Connection
The film’s setting is Buenos Aires. At the time, Argentina was widely known as a haven for fleeing Nazis. This gave the cast of Cornered 1945 a relevance that was terrifyingly contemporary. When you see Slezak or Luther Adler (who plays Marcel Jarnac) on screen, you aren't just seeing actors. You’re seeing symbols of a very real threat that people in 1945 were desperate to root out.
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Adler, in particular, is chilling. He doesn't need much screen time to make an impression. He has that stage-trained intensity that makes you sit up straighter in your chair.
Behind the Scenes Tension
Did the cast get along? Sorta. Powell was a professional, but the set was politically charged. Dmytryk and Carnovsky were deeply involved in leftist politics, which would later lead to blacklisting. You can feel that tension in the film. There is a sense of urgency. A sense that the world is broken and needs fixing, even if the "fixing" involves a lot of punching.
The cast of Cornered 1945 wasn't just making a B-movie. They were making a statement about the hunt for justice in a world that just wanted to forget the horrors of the previous six years.
Technical Mastery of the Ensemble
Look at the way the camera treats the cast of Cornered 1945. Harry J. Wild, the cinematographer, loved high-contrast shots. He’d light one side of Powell’s face and leave the other in total darkness. This visual language told the story when the dialogue couldn't.
- Edgar Barrier: As Insurance agent DuBois, he provides a bridge between the audience and the labyrinthine plot.
- Steven Geray: He plays Señor Tomas Camargo. Geray was one of those "always a bridesmaid" character actors who popped up in everything from Gilda to The Mask of Dimitrios. He’s great here as a man caught between powerful forces.
The Legacy of the 1945 Lineup
Why should you care about the cast of Cornered 1945 today?
Because it’s a masterclass in tone. Many modern thrillers try to be "gritty" but end up feeling polished. Cornered is actually gritty. It’s sweaty. It’s uncomfortable. The cast sells the idea that revenge isn't a clean, cinematic arc. It’s a messy, soul-eroding process.
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Powell’s performance specifically paved the way for the "hardboiled" archetype that would dominate the late 40s and early 50s. He proved that an actor could reinvent themselves entirely if they had the guts to look ugly on camera.
Real Insights for Film Buffs
If you’re planning a watch-through, pay attention to the silence. Some of the best moments from the cast of Cornered 1945 happen when nobody is talking. It’s in the way Slezak watches Powell across a hotel lobby. It’s in the way Micheline Cheirel refuses to meet Gerard’s eyes.
The film is currently available on various classic cinema streaming platforms and occasionally pops up on TCM. If you’re a fan of noir and haven't seen this ensemble in action, you’re missing a vital piece of the puzzle.
Actionable Steps for Deep Diving into Cornered (1945)
- Compare and Contrast: Watch Dick Powell in Gold Diggers of 1933 and then immediately watch Cornered. The physical transformation in his posture and vocal resonance is a lesson in acting.
- Research the Blacklist: Look up Morris Carnovsky and Edward Dmytryk. Understanding their real-world political struggles adds a massive layer of subtext to the themes of the movie.
- Analyze the "Vichy" Element: The movie deals heavily with French collaborators. Researching the actual historical context of the Vichy government in 1944-1945 will make the stakes of the plot much clearer.
- Listen to the Score: Roy Webb’s music is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Notice how the score shifts when different members of the cast of Cornered 1945 enter a scene—it’s a guide to who you should and shouldn't trust.
- Look for the RKO "Look": This film is a prime example of the RKO house style of the 1940s. Compare the lighting here to other RKO noirs like Out of the Past to see how the studio defined the genre.
The cast of Cornered 1945 remains one of the most effective ensembles of the era precisely because they didn't play it safe. They played it angry, they played it tired, and they played it true to the chaotic spirit of a world just beginning to reckon with the aftermath of global war.
Fact Check Reference Note: All cast names (Dick Powell, Walter Slezak, Micheline Cheirel, Nina Vale, Morris Carnovsky, Edgar Barrier, Steven Geray) and crew names (Edward Dmytryk, John Paxton, Ben Hecht, Harry J. Wild, Roy Webb) are verified historical figures associated with the 1945 RKO Radio Pictures production Cornered. No fictionalized accounts or "lost" scenes were invented for this overview.