Famed director Lewis Milestone offered this twisted bit of noir melodrama. The film exudes star power - featuring the legendary Barbara Stanwyck, the chronically under-appreciated Lizabeth Scott, veteran Van Heflin and a very young Kirk Douglas. And the talent is generally well used. Douglas' role - that of an alcoholic coward - is a little bit of a stretch for him and he sometimes over-does it. And the script force's Van Heflin into a few scenes which are inconsistent with his generally good interpretation of the protagonist. Contrary to the opinions of some of the reviewers here on IMDb, Lizabeth Scott played the young, naive, but not exactly innocent Toni to the hilt, and was easily the most sympathetic character in the lot.
Sam Masterson (Heflin), a drifting but successful gambler, meets a very beautiful young woman who has just been released from prison and wants very badly to build a new life for herself (Scott). Attracted to his kindness, Toni attaches herself to Sam readily, and begins to develop romantic expectations. The chemistry between Scott and Heflin is very good, and their budding romance is entirely believable despite its pithy evolution.
Sam wanders back into his home town after more than a decade's absence, and looks up two of his childhood friends from the other side of the tracks - Martha (Stanwyck), a near-miss childhood sweetheart who has inherited about half of the town, including its only major industry, and Walter O'Neil (Douglas) her weak-willed social climbing coward of a husband, who has become the town's D.A. The last night this trio was together, in their teenage years, Martha's aunt was murdered by Martha herself, and Martha and Walter now fear Sam's reason for returning.
Martha Ivers is one of the better-played psychos of 20th century film. Her self-loathing and conniving self-interest are only matched by her more or less complete inconsistency. Martha and her husband Walter are two very unhappy rich people whose lives have been set adrift by history and circumstance. Ironically, Toni and Sam, recognized by society as borderline criminals, though drifters, are mostly well-anchored, grounded and centered. This is only one of many ironies that this film could have explored more powerfully had it been written as well as it was conceived.
Jack Patrick's writing essentially tries to do too much within the film's short running time. He does not sacrifice characterization or plot, and the director and editor do a very nice job of creating a fluid pace for the film, but the shifting sands of a couple of the lead characters' personalities can be a little jarring at times.
Despite this minor problem, the film is a solidly entertaining and well made noir melodrama with a great cast and an excellent premise. More than many other noir entries, this is a film which is capable of inducing thoughtful consideration, since it is not just a story of manipulation, tragedy and murder.
Sam Masterson (Heflin), a drifting but successful gambler, meets a very beautiful young woman who has just been released from prison and wants very badly to build a new life for herself (Scott). Attracted to his kindness, Toni attaches herself to Sam readily, and begins to develop romantic expectations. The chemistry between Scott and Heflin is very good, and their budding romance is entirely believable despite its pithy evolution.
Sam wanders back into his home town after more than a decade's absence, and looks up two of his childhood friends from the other side of the tracks - Martha (Stanwyck), a near-miss childhood sweetheart who has inherited about half of the town, including its only major industry, and Walter O'Neil (Douglas) her weak-willed social climbing coward of a husband, who has become the town's D.A. The last night this trio was together, in their teenage years, Martha's aunt was murdered by Martha herself, and Martha and Walter now fear Sam's reason for returning.
Martha Ivers is one of the better-played psychos of 20th century film. Her self-loathing and conniving self-interest are only matched by her more or less complete inconsistency. Martha and her husband Walter are two very unhappy rich people whose lives have been set adrift by history and circumstance. Ironically, Toni and Sam, recognized by society as borderline criminals, though drifters, are mostly well-anchored, grounded and centered. This is only one of many ironies that this film could have explored more powerfully had it been written as well as it was conceived.
Jack Patrick's writing essentially tries to do too much within the film's short running time. He does not sacrifice characterization or plot, and the director and editor do a very nice job of creating a fluid pace for the film, but the shifting sands of a couple of the lead characters' personalities can be a little jarring at times.
Despite this minor problem, the film is a solidly entertaining and well made noir melodrama with a great cast and an excellent premise. More than many other noir entries, this is a film which is capable of inducing thoughtful consideration, since it is not just a story of manipulation, tragedy and murder.