Hot Cargo (1956)

Set in Hong Kong, a trigger happy cop (Rory Calhoun) gone bad and an ex-chorus girl (Yvonne De Carlo) are engaged in a torrid affair. They attempt to coerce her husband (Alan Reed) into smuggling contraband. When he refuses, she kills him but she soon has other problems ..... can she trust her lover? Directed by Tay Garnett, who is perhaps best known for the 1946 version of THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. Whereas the homicidal lovers in that film were somewhat sympathetic and the doomed husband a sweetheart, the trio here are a nasty piece of goods. The victim beats his wife so we can't feel much sympathy for him. Originally filmed for the SCREEN DIRECTORS PLAYHOUSE, this is a quick and efficient noir-ish teleplay with Calhoun and De Carlo playing the brutish cop and the femme fatale effectively. With June Vincent and Peter Brocco.