I decided to finally make time for Shockproof because it was yet another noir with a credit on it for Samuel Fuller (he helped to co-write the screenplay with Helen Deutsch). I'll admit that when I saw it was directed by Douglas "King of the melodrama" Sirk I was wondering just what the end result would be. It turns out . . . this is exactly what you might think, considering the people behind the camera.
Cornel Wilde is a parole officer named Griff Marat, struggling to help a young woman, Jenny Marsh (Patricia Knight), stay on the straight and narrow. Jenny seems like she could benefit from a second chance, but that might be completely scuppered if she keeps meeting up with her bad influence of an ex, Harry Wesson (John Baragrey). Griff not only wants the best for Jenny, he may well end up falling in love with her. Which would make him much easier to manipulate if Jenny keeps wanting to plan a future with Harry.
Not the best example of noir, and certainly not the grittiest, this is a melodrama that makes use of some familiar tropes to liven things up on the way to a decidedly safe and comfortable finale. Despite the runtime only clocking in at 79 minutes, it's a bit of a slog at times, especially as the leads often engage in some circular conversations and arguments while figuring out just how much they can trust one another.
The leads help though, and Knight is a particularly enjoyable potential femme fatale. She gets to have more fun, and gets to be very believable as someone who could steal the heart of a good man. Wilde has to be much more straight-laced, but he does well enough to avoid being completely overshadowed by the entertainingly dastardly Baragrey, who does such a good job that his shadow looms large over the proceedings even in the many scenes that don't have him onscreen. Esther Minciotti also does well as Mrs. Marat, the blind mother of Wilde's character, perhaps pivotal in helping Jenny to see that she doesn't have to keep making the same mistakes that haven't helped her improve her life so far.
Many may view this as being a bit too soft, considering the premise and the potential, but I thought it was nice to actually have some sweetness working against the usual bitterness. Sirk may not be the best person to helm this, but he's very capable when it comes to presenting a seemingly ill-fated romance complicated by circumstances and pressures. It's a shame that all of the sharp edges are removed, leaving the end result as one of the weaker films to feature major input from Fuller, but there's still fun to be had, particularly in a third act that turns up the heat before, sadly, turning it right down again just before the end credits.
6/10
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