Criss Cross Movie Review. Criss cross, from 1949, was lancaster’s ninth movie, and in his filmography it followed the luridly titled kiss the blood off my hands, which was the first movie that lancaster’s production company made.criss cross had been a project of mark hellinger’s, and lancaster was excited about working with hellinger again.hellinger had produced lancaster’s first two movies, the killers and. Criss cross is a quick movie, at 87 minutes and only a very few wasted.
Criss cross is in some ways derivative of robert siodmak's own the killers from two years before, but it doesn't matter. Steven soderbergh's the underneath takes the bones of a 1949 noir classic named criss cross and drapes them with modern characters so neurotic that crime almost seems like therapy: With burt lancaster, yvonne de carlo, dan duryea, stephen mcnally.
Criss cross doesn't quite live up to the standard of director richard siodmak's enduring noir classic the killers, but the film is nonetheless full of the stylish atmospherics, sly plot twists, human frailties, and fatalistic attitudes that defined the genre after world war ii.
Burt lancaster stars as steve thompson. Criss cross is a quick movie, at 87 minutes and only a very few wasted. A must see film for fans of the genre. The film stars burt lancaster in this film noir crime thriller classic from 1949.