On Dangerous Ground

Robert Ryan plays an angry cop. Just a seething ball of spite, sick of seeing nothing but crooks and stoolies day after day. After he gets warned by his Captain for beating a suspect (who made the bad decision to basically dare him to do it, wrong guy to pull that move with), he loses his temper again with another member of the gang he was trying to find after they beat his witness up.

Since this is the 1940s, rather than being put on paid leave while there's a perfunctory "investigation" they send him up north to help with a manhunt. Someone knifed a teen girl, and her father's (Ward Bond) a mass of indignation and rage. The chase leads them to a house out in the boonies with seemingly only one occupant, a blind woman named Mary (Ida Lupino).

Ryan knows something is up, but is forced to wait. And that gives them a chance to talk. He meets someone good, but lonely, caught in an unhappy existence focused on caring for someone she cares about deeply, but may not be able to save. Bit of a contrast to Ryan's character, who seems to want to serve the law and justice, but doesn't actually care about anyone. Ryan's very good at playing someone with barely disguised contempt.

The ending feels kind of abrupt, although the way all the characters are in sort of stupor once the chase ends feel appropriate. They've all been so wound up by the tension and anger that once the cause is gone, they're just left exhausted and confused.