Lightning Strikes Twice (1951)

After being released from prison on murder charges due to a hung jury, a man (Richard Todd) returns to the small Texas town where the murder of his wife took place. Despite the town's suspicions still hanging over him, a young actress (Ruth Roman) falls in love with him. But the not knowing for sure factor places a great strain on the romance. Will she ever find out the truth? If the director King Vidor's later career never quite had the shine of his early success with such genuine classics like THE BIG PARADE and THE CROWD, he nevertheless remained a solid craftsman and this "woman in peril" thriller is quite absorbing. So much so that one can forgive the tedious "bad guy must be punished" cliche ending. Roman makes for a fetching damsel in distress but Todd is a bit of a stiff, his voice shows the proper emotions but his face remains a mask. Sid Hickox (THE BIG SLEEP) gives the B&W lensing some noir-ish style, too bad Max Steiner couldn't summon up anything as effective. With Mercedes McCambridge in one of those jumping out of her skin performances she did so well, Zachary Scott, Kathryn Givney, Darryl Hickman and Rhys Williams.