A Lone Wolf…dynamite with a girl or a gun!
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.
This Gun for Hire (1942) is a crime, thriller and mystery film directed by Frank Tuttle, released on April 24, 1942 with a runtime of 1h 21m. It stars Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston and Laird Cregar. Viewers rate it 7.0 out of 10 across 197 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for This Gun for Hire before you stream it.
Alan Ladd
as Philip Raven
Veronica Lake
as Ellen Graham
Robert Preston
as Det. Michael Crane
Laird Cregar
as Willard Gates
Tully Marshall
as Alvin Brewster
Marc Lawrence
as Tommy
Olin Howland
as Blair Fletcher
Roger Imhof
as Senator Burnett
Pamela Blake
as Annie
Frank Ferguson
as Albert Baker
Victor Kilian
as Drew
Patricia Farr
as Ruby
Directed by Frank Tuttle, written by Graham Greene, Albert Maltz and W.R. Burnett.
Average viewer score of 7.0/10 from 197 ratings.
I like Cats! So says the icy cold broken wrist killer! Phillip Raven is a hit man of no obvious moral fibre, he literally will kill anyone for the right price. After fulfilling a contract for the chocolate munching Willard Gates, he finds himself pursued by the law on account that he was paid by Gates with stolen money. Raven sets out for the ultimate revenge and dovetailing towards the explosive finale with him is…
Reviewed on January 10, 2019
“Raven” (Alan Ladd) is a meticulously capable contract killer whom we meet bumping off not just a blackmailer, but an innocent girl who just happened to be with him at the time. His boss, “Gates” (Laird Cregar) rather foolishly pays him off with dodgy cash and that earns him the enmity of his former employee. Meantime, the authorities are suspicious of “Gates" and his own wheel-chair bound industrialist boss…
Reviewed on February 9, 2026
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This Gun for Hire (1942) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of This Gun for Hire (1942) includes Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar and Tully Marshall. The film was directed by Frank Tuttle. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
This Gun for Hire was released on April 24, 1942 and runs for 1h 21m.
This Gun for Hire (1942) holds an average rating of 7.0 out of 10 from 197 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy crime, thriller and mystery films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official This Gun for Hire trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
