Martin Filones sees a murder. The police send him somewhere quiet, but someone knows where he’s gone.
1960 · Film noir · Black and white · CinemaScope
Synopsis
After witnessing a gangland murder, Martin Filones is sent to a small town for his own protection. There he meets Lucy Hall, who helps him find his bearings. As the people he hoped to escape close in, Martin has to decide whom he can trust.
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Meet the cast
Crew
Director · Edward L. Cahn
Producer · John Healy
Screenplay · Jerry Sohl
Based on ‘Set Up for Murder’ by Richard Stern
Cinematography · Floyd Crosby
Editing · Betty Steinberg
Art direction · John Mansbridge
Music direction · Paul Dunlap
Production company · Associated Producers, Inc.
Distributor · Twentieth Century-Fox
Production and film notes
Richard Stern’s Set Up for Murder appeared in two August 1959 issues of The Saturday Evening Post. Jerry Sohl adapted it for Edward L. Cahn’s film, which AFI catalogues under the spelled-out title Twelve Hours to Kill. The poster uses the numeral. AFI Catalog
Floyd Crosby photographed the film in black-and-white CinemaScope. The wide frame gives Martin room to scan unfamiliar streets and faces as the small town starts to feel less like a refuge. AFI Catalog
Related films
Kansas City Confidential (1952) · An innocent man is caught up in the aftermath of a gang’s robbery.
The Chase (1946) · A man finds himself in danger after putting his trust in the wrong people.