You Get Sterling Hayden, Gloria Graham and Film-Noir is in the Making.
Add an Almost Complete Night-Time Shoot, a Psycho Nut-Job (Gene Barry chewing away and virtually melting the screen) Tailored Made for Noir.
Hayden is a Borderline Brutal Cop who is Fired for said Activity but Never Abandons His Tail of the Psycho-Man that He Intuits from the Start.
Barry's Character is Loony-Tunes.
He Goes from Mild-Mannered Baker with a Wife and Kid, Transforming into Woman Beating Kill-for-Thrill Murderer in a Micro-Minute.
Gloria Graham Adds Her Noir Cred as a Seedy South of the Border Dame Working a Dive.
Seemingly She Waits Around for Con-Man Barry to Return and Slap Her Around and Deceive.
She is Great as Always Playing the Sultry Thick-Skinned Damsel.
The Film is Dark, Brutal, Seedy, and a Must-See for Film-Noir Fans.
The 1950's Trended Toward Police Procedural Watering-Down the Pure Noirs,
but In this Case it doesn't Overwhelm the Elements that Make Noir Fascinating.
It's a Dark Film in a Dark City when They get to Mexico where Almost All Light is Artificial and there is Danger Around Every Corner.
Gene Barry is Miscast but Manages to Overcome with an Over-the-Top Rampage of Killing or Beating Anyone who Crosses His Path.
Little Petey, an Adolescent Mexican National who Lives on the Streets makes an Impression and is a Central Thread to the Plot.
It's a Treat to See Chuck Connors Presence Early On in a Small Role,
Matching Hayden in Stature, when Few Could, both Men Standing 6'+.
Low-Budget but High Entertainment.
A Great Example Showing Film-Noir Alive and Relevant at the Late Date of 1954.
Add an Almost Complete Night-Time Shoot, a Psycho Nut-Job (Gene Barry chewing away and virtually melting the screen) Tailored Made for Noir.
Hayden is a Borderline Brutal Cop who is Fired for said Activity but Never Abandons His Tail of the Psycho-Man that He Intuits from the Start.
Barry's Character is Loony-Tunes.
He Goes from Mild-Mannered Baker with a Wife and Kid, Transforming into Woman Beating Kill-for-Thrill Murderer in a Micro-Minute.
Gloria Graham Adds Her Noir Cred as a Seedy South of the Border Dame Working a Dive.
Seemingly She Waits Around for Con-Man Barry to Return and Slap Her Around and Deceive.
She is Great as Always Playing the Sultry Thick-Skinned Damsel.
The Film is Dark, Brutal, Seedy, and a Must-See for Film-Noir Fans.
The 1950's Trended Toward Police Procedural Watering-Down the Pure Noirs,
but In this Case it doesn't Overwhelm the Elements that Make Noir Fascinating.
It's a Dark Film in a Dark City when They get to Mexico where Almost All Light is Artificial and there is Danger Around Every Corner.
Gene Barry is Miscast but Manages to Overcome with an Over-the-Top Rampage of Killing or Beating Anyone who Crosses His Path.
Little Petey, an Adolescent Mexican National who Lives on the Streets makes an Impression and is a Central Thread to the Plot.
It's a Treat to See Chuck Connors Presence Early On in a Small Role,
Matching Hayden in Stature, when Few Could, both Men Standing 6'+.
Low-Budget but High Entertainment.
A Great Example Showing Film-Noir Alive and Relevant at the Late Date of 1954.