Mobster Hap Richie needs a pliable defense lawyer for his thug facing a murder charge. He recruits manipulative showgirl Flaxy Martin (Virginia Mayo) to find him a sucker. Walter Colby (Zachary Scott) is a sincere lawyer desperate to marry Flaxy. She gets him to take the crooked case. He wins it without knowing that Hap had bought in lying witness Peggy Farrar. When Peggy goes to Walter demanding $10k more, he informs Hap who rubs her out. All the while, Flaxy is closely involved in every crime but Walter is still trying to help her. He comes up with a crazy idea to keep her out of prison.
This is a crazy idea. Blackmail does not excuse killing as self-defense. Walter's scheme is ridiculous. He admits to killing her which is a half step from a murder conviction. He has to prove self-defense which is very difficult at the best of situations. He's either the stupidest man or the dumbest guy. He has to foresee that a gangster like Hap would get somebody to lie on the stand again. After all, Hap already did it before. Walter is an utter idiot.
This is a crazy idea. Blackmail does not excuse killing as self-defense. Walter's scheme is ridiculous. He admits to killing her which is a half step from a murder conviction. He has to prove self-defense which is very difficult at the best of situations. He's either the stupidest man or the dumbest guy. He has to foresee that a gangster like Hap would get somebody to lie on the stand again. After all, Hap already did it before. Walter is an utter idiot.