Lawrence Tierney is one cold and scary son of a gun in this film. In many ways, this amoral and detached performance was highly reminiscent of Richard Baseshart's in HE WALKED BY NIGHT, though Tierney was more unpredictable and tended to snap rather easily. Both men lacked the usual leading man charisma or the larger than life gangster style of the likes of Cagney or Bogart--and this was a real plus because the killer seemed much more realistic and menacing. Both men thought nothing of murder.
Now if all this wicked and amoral menace wasn't enough, the film combined his strong performance by an equally awful character played by Claire Trevor. At first, she doesn't seem so bad, but later she reveals herself to be an ugly and greedy opportunist. While not violent like Tierney, she was certainly an excellent femme fatale and was pretty wicked to the core. Combining her character with Tierney's was an excellent choice.
The film didn't feature some of the amazing trademark camera-work, though it's dialog was pure Noir--with lots of violence, snappy comebacks and sparkling as well as steamy dialog. While there are no cops in the film until the end and there are no gangsters, the film has the elements required to please fans of the genre. A top-notch film, though a bit on the unpleasant side for those who are not lovers of Film Noir.
Now if all this wicked and amoral menace wasn't enough, the film combined his strong performance by an equally awful character played by Claire Trevor. At first, she doesn't seem so bad, but later she reveals herself to be an ugly and greedy opportunist. While not violent like Tierney, she was certainly an excellent femme fatale and was pretty wicked to the core. Combining her character with Tierney's was an excellent choice.
The film didn't feature some of the amazing trademark camera-work, though it's dialog was pure Noir--with lots of violence, snappy comebacks and sparkling as well as steamy dialog. While there are no cops in the film until the end and there are no gangsters, the film has the elements required to please fans of the genre. A top-notch film, though a bit on the unpleasant side for those who are not lovers of Film Noir.