The Dark Past (1948)

A convict (William Holden) breaks out of prison and while on the run from the police, he and his moll (Nina Foch) along with some confederates break into the home of a psychiatrist (Lee J. Cobb) and hold them hostage while waiting for a boat that will take them to safety. Based on the play BLIND ALLEY (previously filmed in 1939) by James Warwick and directed by Rudolph Mate (WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE). An interesting psychological film noir that is overly simplistic. People spend years in therapy being analyzed in order to get to the root of their psychological problems but Cobb's psychiatrist solves Holden's psychosis in less than 12 hours! In a rare unsympathetic role, Holden is quite good and Cobb keeps his scenery chewing in check and gives a restrained performance. It lacks the glamour of Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND but the end result is the same, dime store Freudian assessment. Still, as a home invasion film, it's not bad at all. With Adele Jergens, Lois Maxwell, Stephen Dunne and Steven Geray.