It's interesting to watch but far from perfect. As far as the plot goes, it's all a jumble of improbable events and hopeless passions. Somehow the director manages to mark it all out so that it makes movie sense but I don't think it ever really jells. What I did like is the tension, the individual scenes of menace, and above all the presence of the maniacal Lawrence Tierney, who seems to bring out the worst in others.
The camera angles are interesting too, especially the scene where Tierney is lying in bed smoking a cigarette and talking on the telephone. As he talks the camera eye slowly descends. But I get so caught up in the conversation that by the time he hangs up the camera eye is right down on his evil face and I can't figure out exactly how it got there.
This is definitely not Wise's best effort, but it's an early indication of how great he was to become.
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jim-862
17 years ago
I agree with you. It wasn't about the plotting. Mood, camera, and acting were terrific. Use of darkness.
"You! Blabbermouth! OUT!--Ralph Cramden
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spamtar
16 years ago
This is more of a “noir experience” then a standard film and should be approached as such. I for one believe that the characters were drafted intentionally so that we could not specifically relate to them. It is like going to another “noir world” where the inconsistencies noted in some other posts are presumably generally accepted in this universe. This film breaks a lot of rules and is unique because of this.
For example, there is a distortion of the main stars (center of focus) which gives a clarity/almost overemphasis by contrast to the supporting characters despite their limited impact to the plot. Despite this or more likely because of this and wonderful roles of the supporting cast character actors Elisha Cook Jr. Walter Slezak and Esther Howard makes this a noir classic. A person, love it or hate it, is not truly a “film noir” aficionado until they have experienced this film.
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