The Night Runner (1957)

A man (Ray Danton) with a violent past is prematurely released from a mental hospital due to it being overcrowded. Unable to withstand the pressures of a big city life, he settles in at a small beachside community where he falls in love with the daughter (Colleen Miller) of a motel owner (Willis Bouchey). However, the motel owner is suspicious of the young man and doesn't like the romance between them. Based on a short story by Owen Cameron and directed by Abner Biberman (GUN FOR A COWARD). I enjoyed this B noir-drama that wants to have it both ways. On the positive side, it exposes the overcrowded mental institutions where doctors have too many patients to take care of and lack of facilities to help them. On the other side, it uses mental illness as a contrivance for a thriller which made me somewhat uncomfortable. But there's no denying its effectiveness on both levels. As the mentally ill man, Ray Danton is very good and gives a sympathetic performance. With Merry Anders and Harry Jackson.