Pat (Claire Trevor) helps bust erstwhile boyfriend Joe Sullivan (Dennis O'Keefe) out of prison. His way of thanking her is to take her to his P.O's home, kidnap her, and decide he would prefer to have her as his girl instead. Complications ensue.
The main selling points of this film are the great John Alton's cinematography, establishing a perfect noir mood that is matched by an eerie theramin-based score and moody, broken Trevor voiceover. The plot is a rather standard 'escapee on the run while also seeking revenge against those who wronged him' that is bolstered by some excellent performances, particularly from Claire Trevor as a woman attracted inexplicably to a man who will never return her feelings, but is happy enough to keep her around and keep using her as long as it suits him.
Despite the performances, the characters are weak. Trevor's Pat is the most sympathetic character (haven't we all been attracted to exactly the wrong person at some point in our lives?), but O'Keefe's Joe is a cypher - it is impossible to determine his motivation for doing almost anything he does, and as such is basically an unlikable protagonist. There is absolutely no reason for his sudden advances toward Ann Martin (Marsha Hunt) outside of a desire to conquer, possess, and corrupt her, but even this is murky.
There is a also a sequence in which a fleeing murderer temporarily shacks up with out central trio and their benevolent helper, and when I say temporarily, I mean TEMPORARILY. This murderer (played by Whit Bissell) shows up, rants and raves for a couple of minutes, then leaves, having left no lasting impact on either story nor character.
Also worth mentioning is a rather sadistic performance by Raymond Burr as the target of Joe's revenge plans. This 'villain' is rather hands-off in terms of driving story, but the character is kept interesting through his very nature.
Main pros: excellent performance by Claire Trevor, classic noir atmosphere and cinematography.
Main cons: unlikable characters, illogical character/plot decisions.
Recommended if you can look past the strange character decisions and pointless plot excursions.
The main selling points of this film are the great John Alton's cinematography, establishing a perfect noir mood that is matched by an eerie theramin-based score and moody, broken Trevor voiceover. The plot is a rather standard 'escapee on the run while also seeking revenge against those who wronged him' that is bolstered by some excellent performances, particularly from Claire Trevor as a woman attracted inexplicably to a man who will never return her feelings, but is happy enough to keep her around and keep using her as long as it suits him.
Despite the performances, the characters are weak. Trevor's Pat is the most sympathetic character (haven't we all been attracted to exactly the wrong person at some point in our lives?), but O'Keefe's Joe is a cypher - it is impossible to determine his motivation for doing almost anything he does, and as such is basically an unlikable protagonist. There is absolutely no reason for his sudden advances toward Ann Martin (Marsha Hunt) outside of a desire to conquer, possess, and corrupt her, but even this is murky.
There is a also a sequence in which a fleeing murderer temporarily shacks up with out central trio and their benevolent helper, and when I say temporarily, I mean TEMPORARILY. This murderer (played by Whit Bissell) shows up, rants and raves for a couple of minutes, then leaves, having left no lasting impact on either story nor character.
Also worth mentioning is a rather sadistic performance by Raymond Burr as the target of Joe's revenge plans. This 'villain' is rather hands-off in terms of driving story, but the character is kept interesting through his very nature.
Main pros: excellent performance by Claire Trevor, classic noir atmosphere and cinematography.
Main cons: unlikable characters, illogical character/plot decisions.
Recommended if you can look past the strange character decisions and pointless plot excursions.