Movie Monday Review: Run for the Sun

Richard Widmark as Mike Latimer looking at Jane Greer

Run for the Sun (1956)

Starring: Richard Widmark, Jane Greer, Trevor Howard, and Peter van Eyck

Summary

Reporter Katie Connors (Jane Greer) is known for her exposes on famous people, digging up their lives for the public to read. She goes on a journey to find the mysterious author Mike Latimer (Richard Widmark) who had recently stopped writing his books and was thought to have left for Mexico. Although a true fan of the handsome author, Katie keeps her true intensions hidden. Meeting up with Mike, he becomes attached to her, the only other American in the dusty Mexican village. Sweet times commence as they share time together fishing, walking, and talking. Katie, with guilt amassing over what she came to do and the relationship that has come about instead, attempts to leave and promising herself not to publish her findings. When Mike finds out, he offers to fly her out with his plane, and the two of them leave together. Due to complications, they crash in the middle of a jungle, only to find out that they are in the hands of former Nazi officers in hiding. Mike and Katie have to work together to escape these men and stop them from enacting their plans. Throughout the story, they learn what true love and trust means.

Trevor Howard and Peter van Eyck 

Review

One feels for Mike Latimer, having felt betrayed and presently feeling hopeless. However, his constant escape from the world, without intention of changing for the better, makes one wonder if he is right. When Katie Connors appears on the scene, she leaves a sour taste for the viewer as it is known that she is trying to dig into Mike’s personal life. Nevertheless, what seems like a bad combination, turns into good. Katie’s honesty in the end proves that she cares for the disheartened author and brings about a change in Mike who learns to trust someone again.

The plot moves quickly in the beginning, establishing the situations of both Mike and Katie, as well as building their relationship. Upon their departure, there is a subtle hint that their plane crash is due to Katie’s notebook, the magnet in it pulling the compass off course. The majority of the movie shows Mike and Katie running from the two villains in the film (Trevor Howard and Peter van Eyck). Mike is seen as resourceful, while Katie is seen as quite dependent upon him. The touching moment comes toward the end of the movie, when Mike learns forgiveness and trust.

The scariest part of the movie shows the guard dogs attacking Mike. To the viewer, it is a man fighting with a dog and the only gore seen is the slightly bloodied shoulder of Mike.

Jane Greer as Katie Connors, first arriving in town

Ellen Nolan 

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