The real-life unsolved murder of a popular priest in Bridgeport, Connecticut, provides the factual basis for this intriguing crime drama in which political corruption, dubious police practices and outrageous abuses of power, figure strongly. In typical docu-noir style, most of the action is filmed on location with non-professional actors filling the supporting roles and an authoritative newsreel-style narration providing important background information. The overall mood of the piece is rather uneasy and becomes increasingly tense as the stakes get higher and the trial of the prime suspect approaches.
After the brutal murder of Bridgeport's local priest, State Attorney Henry L Harvey (Dana Andrews) and local Police Chief Robbie Robinson (Lee J Cobb) come under immediate pressure to find the culprit and bring him to justice. As the days pass and the police investigation fails to identify a suspect, the criticism from the local newspaper, the public and local politicians becomes increasingly intense. A breakthrough then seems to be made when a man, fitting the description of the killer, is located and brought in for questioning. The circumstantial evidence against unemployed ex-G.I. John Waldron (Arthur Kennedy) seems compelling and so when he provides a confession, the case appears to have been solved. A problem arises however, when Harvey starts to have doubts about Waldron's guilt and realises that if he doesn't forcefully pursue a conviction, he will have to face the opposition of everyone in Bridgeport and also risk his own career in the process.
What becomes most apparent from the situation is that everyone in the locality is so driven by self-interest or a need for revenge that they're totally unconcerned about the pursuit of justice or the fate of the World War 11 veteran who could possibly be innocent. The proprietor of the local newspaper (an opponent of the ruling Reform Party) had accused the police department of incompetence and added fuel to the public's sense of outrage in the early stages of the investigation because an election was looming. Similarly, in order to try to ensure victory at the upcoming election, the Mayor made it clear to Harvey that a conviction would make it a certainty that he'd achieve his long-held ambition to become the State Governor.
Another Reform Party official, Paul Harris (Ed Begley), is the owner of a company that owns some land which the current administration is due to purchase for the creation of a recreation area. If his party don't get re-elected, he knows the project will be abandoned and he will be financially ruined. He therefore puts pressure on Harvey to smooth the Party's way back into power by getting a conviction and adds that if Harvey doesn't comply, he will expose the fact that Harvey's wife Madge (Jane Wyatt) had lent him some money for the project and make her appear to be corrupt.
When the police interviewed Waldron, they denied him access to a lawyer and after considering beating a confession out of him went on to achieve their objective by using sleep deprivation instead. The public need for revenge had become so intense that they'd moved into lynch-mob mode and the various witnesses in the case also became willing to perjure themselves in order to ensure that someone paid heavily for the death of the priest.
The movie's opening narration emphasises how typical Bridgeport is of towns all over the United States and no doubt, this must've provided some food for thought amongst audiences at the time of the movie's original release. "Boomerang!" is an intelligent movie that's well made and contains an array of fine performances, most notably by Lee J Cobb, Arthur Kennedy and Dana Andrews who looks convincingly stoical as he tries to ensure that justice is done in extremely difficult circumstances.
After the brutal murder of Bridgeport's local priest, State Attorney Henry L Harvey (Dana Andrews) and local Police Chief Robbie Robinson (Lee J Cobb) come under immediate pressure to find the culprit and bring him to justice. As the days pass and the police investigation fails to identify a suspect, the criticism from the local newspaper, the public and local politicians becomes increasingly intense. A breakthrough then seems to be made when a man, fitting the description of the killer, is located and brought in for questioning. The circumstantial evidence against unemployed ex-G.I. John Waldron (Arthur Kennedy) seems compelling and so when he provides a confession, the case appears to have been solved. A problem arises however, when Harvey starts to have doubts about Waldron's guilt and realises that if he doesn't forcefully pursue a conviction, he will have to face the opposition of everyone in Bridgeport and also risk his own career in the process.
What becomes most apparent from the situation is that everyone in the locality is so driven by self-interest or a need for revenge that they're totally unconcerned about the pursuit of justice or the fate of the World War 11 veteran who could possibly be innocent. The proprietor of the local newspaper (an opponent of the ruling Reform Party) had accused the police department of incompetence and added fuel to the public's sense of outrage in the early stages of the investigation because an election was looming. Similarly, in order to try to ensure victory at the upcoming election, the Mayor made it clear to Harvey that a conviction would make it a certainty that he'd achieve his long-held ambition to become the State Governor.
Another Reform Party official, Paul Harris (Ed Begley), is the owner of a company that owns some land which the current administration is due to purchase for the creation of a recreation area. If his party don't get re-elected, he knows the project will be abandoned and he will be financially ruined. He therefore puts pressure on Harvey to smooth the Party's way back into power by getting a conviction and adds that if Harvey doesn't comply, he will expose the fact that Harvey's wife Madge (Jane Wyatt) had lent him some money for the project and make her appear to be corrupt.
When the police interviewed Waldron, they denied him access to a lawyer and after considering beating a confession out of him went on to achieve their objective by using sleep deprivation instead. The public need for revenge had become so intense that they'd moved into lynch-mob mode and the various witnesses in the case also became willing to perjure themselves in order to ensure that someone paid heavily for the death of the priest.
The movie's opening narration emphasises how typical Bridgeport is of towns all over the United States and no doubt, this must've provided some food for thought amongst audiences at the time of the movie's original release. "Boomerang!" is an intelligent movie that's well made and contains an array of fine performances, most notably by Lee J Cobb, Arthur Kennedy and Dana Andrews who looks convincingly stoical as he tries to ensure that justice is done in extremely difficult circumstances.