An ex-Marine (Darren McGavin) recently graduated from the police academy is assigned undercover work due to his military intelligence experience. His mission is to uncover police corruption and find out what cops are on the take of a gambling syndicate. However, his arrogance and ruthless ambition cause him to make deadly mistakes resulting in two deaths. Based on a magazine article detailing police corruption in Brooklyn, this tight crime thriller is a combination of
faux documentary (like Dassin's
THE NAKED CITY) but with a marked similarity to Lang's
THE BIG HEAT. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film is its "hero", who doesn't seem to care who gets hurt (physically or emotionally) in his determination to impress his bosses. Although he's happily married, he's even willing to bed a woman (Margaret Hayes,
BLACKBOARD JUNGLE) who has information that might help him break the case. Even at the film's end, we're not sure he's learned anything. Directed by Paul Wendkos (
GIDGET). With Warren Stevens, Peggy McCay, Emile Meyer, Joe De Santis and as McGavin's ill fated partner, Brian G. Hutton who went on directing films like
WHERE EAGLES DARE and
KELLY'S HEROES.
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