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This Gun for Hire

Name: This Gun for Hire
Director: Frank Tuttle
Released: 1942
Duration: 81 min

Representation Score

0.5/10

Minimal

1942

Director

Frank Tuttle

Runtime

81 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

This crime noir functions as a quintessential product of the 1940s studio system, relying heavily on established genre clichés and traditional social hierarchies. The narrative is built around a male-driven plot where female characters are relegated to archetypal roles. While the female lead shows some moral influence, the power structures remain largely unchanged. Ultimately, the film reflects the systemic limitations of its time, presenting a homogeneous world that lacks racial, cultural, or disability-related depth.

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Category Breakdown

Does This Gun for Hire have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film follows a strictly heterosexual and cisgender structure, focusing entirely on the tension between a male protagonist and a female lead, with no representation of diverse sexual orientations or gender identities.

How does This Gun for Hire portray gender?

Limited

Ellen attempts to influence the protagonist's moral direction, showing some ability to act. However, she remains confined to traditional noir archetypes and a male-driven plot.

How racially and ethnically diverse is This Gun for Hire?

Minimal

The cast is predominantly white, reflecting the era's exclusion of non-white voices. The setting does not challenge the Anglo-centric norms of the 1940s.

How does This Gun for Hire represent religion and culture?

Limited

The story operates within a conventional moral framework centered on individual criminality. It lacks any significant critique of traditional institutions like the law or the family.

Does This Gun for Hire include disability representation?

Minimal

No visible or invisible disabilities are portrayed. Characters are presented through a lens of standard physical capability and neurotypicality.

Present on Screen

The female lead, Ellen, attempts to influence the protagonist's moral direction.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks racial and ethnic diversity, adhering to a homogeneous, Anglo-centric cast.
The narrative relies on traditional gendered archetypes rather than challenging power structures.
There is no representation of disability or neurodivergence within the central characters.
The story operates within a strictly heterosexual and cisgender framework.

Official Synopsis

Sadistic killer-for-hire Philip Raven becomes enraged when his latest job is paid off in marked bills. Vowing to track down his double-crossing boss, nightclub executive Gates, Raven sits beside Gates' lovely new employee, Ellen, on a train out of town. Although Ellen is engaged to marry the police lieutenant who's hunting down Raven, she decides to try and set the misguided hit man straight as he hides from the cops and plots his revenge.

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