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Montgomery cagily incriminates Mitchell, who can't be found. Instead, Mitchell is wandering about the town, picking up Gloria Grahame at a bar where she works soliciting drinks and dances. Meanwhile, Mitchell's defense is assumed by his roommate, Keeley (Robert Mitchum). The busybody Keeley has also brought in Mitchell's wife Mary (Jacqueline White). Can Keeley protect Mitchell from Montgomery's blustering? Or will the perceptive Robert Young finally see through Montgomery's act?
How others will see it. Crossfire has a good cast and a competent script, characteristics generally sufficient to satisfy classic movie fans. Montgomery's guilt becomes obvious early on, and he is so dislikable that we cheer on his inevitable downfall. Mitchell, on the other hand, is such a wuss that we have trouble developing any sympathy for him. Montgomery Clift would have been a better choice for Cooper's role.
How I felt about it. Crossfire is a social commentary that pretends to be a murder mystery. Early on, it is evident that lost soul Mitchell wouldn't step on a bug crawling on a sidewalk, much less kill a pleasant fellow he just met in a bar. On the other hand, Montgomery is bursting to the seams with strong opinions that seem supported by emotions rather than knowledge. In particular, Montgomery makes conclusions about people based upon their ethnicity. He's prejudiced, something that Robert Young knows much about, since his character's grandfather was murdered for being an Irish immigrant.
Thus, in spirit, Crossfire is closer to Gentleman's Agreement than a standard whodunnit. Young explains that Robert Ryan is merely an exaggerated version of the Ugly American, who normally discriminates discreetly, by excluding Jews (or folks from Tennessee, for that matter) from polite society. Not that everyone is an Ugly American. Floyd, for example, is merely an enabler, someone who allows Montgomery to run his mouth, and pretends to agree with him. Because it is easier (and safer) than the alternative, telling Montgomery to his face what a jerk he really is.
Crossfire's main purpose is explaining prejudice. But its minor storyline is more compelling. Gloria Grahame is beautiful, but she's disillusioned practically beyond hope. She's seen so many drunken, pawing men that she can hardly believe it when Mitchell honestly presents himself as a married man interested in courtship instead of sex. But she isn't surprised when Mitchell is gone when she returns from work. Men are all the same to her: necessary but unreliable.