In San Francisco, ex-con Eddie Pedak (Alain Delon) is trying to go clean with his wife Kristine (Ann-Margret) and young daughter after two years in prison. His older brother Walter Pedak (Jack Palance) tries to recruit him for a heist but he refuses. Police Inspector Mike Vido is still bitter after getting shot by someone he assumes to be Eddie. Vido arrests Eddie but the witness clears him. He loses his job anyways and is forced to take the job from his brother.
This black and white crime drama has a lot going for it. Palance is a great criminal. Ann-Margret is luminous. I do have an issue with Alain Delon. He's oddly flat as a harden criminal. I expect some of Palance in him but they don't seem to fit together. Of course, I find out later that he's French. I guess I sensed his Euro superiority. As for the plot, there are some great criminal sections. Eddie is not appealing for a long stretch after losing his job and the movie drags during this section. The action is pretty good compared to other similar films but it's not ground breaking. This has compelling slices of criminal underground and police work. It may not be the best of its genre but it's got good aspects.
This black and white crime drama has a lot going for it. Palance is a great criminal. Ann-Margret is luminous. I do have an issue with Alain Delon. He's oddly flat as a harden criminal. I expect some of Palance in him but they don't seem to fit together. Of course, I find out later that he's French. I guess I sensed his Euro superiority. As for the plot, there are some great criminal sections. Eddie is not appealing for a long stretch after losing his job and the movie drags during this section. The action is pretty good compared to other similar films but it's not ground breaking. This has compelling slices of criminal underground and police work. It may not be the best of its genre but it's got good aspects.