Why were reviewers so negative about this film?

I really like this movie. It's as good a film noir as most I've seen (and, loving film noir, I've seen a lot of them.) I can't help wondering if part of the reason was the generally hostile attitude of the movie press to Mason? He was notoriously uncooperative with them and earned their antipathy almost as soon as he stepped off the ship from UK. Also, it was the case that American audiences never took to Mason; I suspect he was too intellectual, too complex, too dark for American tastes. Pity. Their loss.