This is another film noir, along the lines of "Somewhere in the Night", where a man undergoes threats to his life because he's confused for somebody else. In the case of stockbroker Warren Douglas, the man he's confused for is a gangster whom rival gangsters want taken out. Because of his beating, he is arrested for alleged drunk and disorderly behavior, and joins forces with insurance claims investigator Jane Frazee who goes undercover among the rival gang to get the scoop. This tough lady even gets into a winning catfight with tough moll Lynn Millan until risk of her identity being revealed gets her into further trouble.
This is a fast moving low budget "film noir lite" directed by "one take" William Beaudine who had directed several similar crime dramas with noir aspects including "Fashion Model", "Black Market Babies" and "Don't Gamble With Strangers". It has several cliched characteristics of low budget crime dramas including character names like "Slats", "Bugs", "Nuckles" and "Nails" which sound closer to Dick Tracy villains rather than noir characters. While the story focuses on Douglas (who does get some good lines, such as basically declaring "here we go again" every time he is forced to get into a gangster's car), Frazee comes off best with her tough but honest investigator. Harry Lauter and Joyce Compton provide some nice comic relief as Douglas's pal and his dizzy wife, but basically they are a distraction from the main plot which stops dead cold when they appear on screen.
This is a fast moving low budget "film noir lite" directed by "one take" William Beaudine who had directed several similar crime dramas with noir aspects including "Fashion Model", "Black Market Babies" and "Don't Gamble With Strangers". It has several cliched characteristics of low budget crime dramas including character names like "Slats", "Bugs", "Nuckles" and "Nails" which sound closer to Dick Tracy villains rather than noir characters. While the story focuses on Douglas (who does get some good lines, such as basically declaring "here we go again" every time he is forced to get into a gangster's car), Frazee comes off best with her tough but honest investigator. Harry Lauter and Joyce Compton provide some nice comic relief as Douglas's pal and his dizzy wife, but basically they are a distraction from the main plot which stops dead cold when they appear on screen.