Interesting expansion of a Graham Greene short story. A millionaire embezzler tries to steal another man's identity and escape to Mexico.
Rod Steiger is terrific in the lead and boldly unafraid to be unsympathetic. There's a solid noir feeling to the story, themes and especially the cinematography. There's a good deal of tension, too.
On the other hand, the whole story depends on not just one but two whopping coincidences, along with a couple of those 'why doesn't the character just ?' moments, which hurt the overall effectiveness of the film. The score is a bit over the top too.
But, for any faults it's still a well made, thinking person's thriller, worth seeking out if you're a fan of the genre or the elements.
Rod Steiger is terrific in the lead and boldly unafraid to be unsympathetic. There's a solid noir feeling to the story, themes and especially the cinematography. There's a good deal of tension, too.
On the other hand, the whole story depends on not just one but two whopping coincidences, along with a couple of those 'why doesn't the character just ?' moments, which hurt the overall effectiveness of the film. The score is a bit over the top too.
But, for any faults it's still a well made, thinking person's thriller, worth seeking out if you're a fan of the genre or the elements.