This is another fine Mann noir though I'd personally rank it lower than, say, RAW DEAL (1948) or SIDE STREET (1950).
On the debit side are the weak male leads Hugh Beaumont as the cop (though he's better here than in BURY ME DEAD [1947]) and Ed Kelly as the framed boy and the somewhat familiar storyline. On the other hand, John Ireland (surprisingly top-billed) is impressive as the heavy and Jane Randolph (hair dyed blonde) makes for an interesting femme fatale but, just as striking, is lovely Sheila Ryan playing the spunky if naïve leading lady.
As befits the genre in which Mann excelled, before changing course eventually with the psychological Western the film is at its best when relying on shadowy lighting to create mood or highlight moments of suspense, menace and outbursts of violence (notably the final showdown between Beaumont and Ireland in a darkened bar-room). The film is available on an old and expensive bare-bones DVD from Kino, from which the DivX copy I watched was culled.
On the debit side are the weak male leads Hugh Beaumont as the cop (though he's better here than in BURY ME DEAD [1947]) and Ed Kelly as the framed boy and the somewhat familiar storyline. On the other hand, John Ireland (surprisingly top-billed) is impressive as the heavy and Jane Randolph (hair dyed blonde) makes for an interesting femme fatale but, just as striking, is lovely Sheila Ryan playing the spunky if naïve leading lady.
As befits the genre in which Mann excelled, before changing course eventually with the psychological Western the film is at its best when relying on shadowy lighting to create mood or highlight moments of suspense, menace and outbursts of violence (notably the final showdown between Beaumont and Ireland in a darkened bar-room). The film is available on an old and expensive bare-bones DVD from Kino, from which the DivX copy I watched was culled.