The Long Wait (1954)

After an accident that leaves him with amnesia, a man (Anthony Quinn) returns to the small town he came from to try and find out who he is. He soon finds out ..... a murder suspect! But one of four women (Peggie Castle, Shirley Patterson, Mary Ellen Kay, Dolores Donlon) hold the key to his innocence. But which one? Based on the novel by Mickey Spillane and directed by Victor Saville (GREEN DOLPHIN STREET). A nifty piece of film noir with all the requisite elements: a tough guy "hero" struggling to find the "truth" that could save him in a atmosphere of corruption, sadistic bad guys (Gene Evans) who enjoy inflicting cruelty for just the hell of it and not one but four femme fatales! Not unusual with Spillane, there are generous doses of violence (often against women) that make one uncomfortable but it fits in with the movie's tawdry and lurid pulp mood. Noir fans should be quite happy with it. With Charles Coburn, Jay Adler and Barry Kelley.