A police detective (Cornel Wilde) is obsessed with bringing a ruthless gangster (Richard Conte) to justice. His biggest hope is to encourage the mobster's unhappy mistress (Jean Wallace) to leave him and give evidence against him. This atmospheric
film noir is a triumph of style over substance. Philip Yordan's script is serviceable though some of the dialog is clunky but the director Joseph H. Lewis (
GUN CRAZY) and his ace cinematographer John Alton (
ELMER GANTRY) transform the functional screenplay into a stylish, nasty and shadowy pulp thriller that belies its "B" movie roots. The movie pushes the envelope not only with its violence but sexuality. Notably, Conte performing a sex act on Wallace and the film's barely concealed gay lovers (Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman) who work as Conte's thuggish henchmen. David Raksin's jazzy underscore is also a big plus. With Brian Donlevy, Helen Walker, Robert Middleton, John Hoyt, Ted De Corsia, Jay Adler and Helene Stanton.
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