Sure had a long wait to see this having read the book. Its last showing on UK tv seems to have been well over half a century ago prior to it turning up on the indispensable Talking Pictures yesterday. So often a film you've long wanted to see turns out a disappointment, certainly not the case here.
In one sense almost a classic Noir of an amnesiac trying to piece together his past, menaced by criminals and the law and becoming involved with four glamorous women, with the requisite Noir atmosphere enhanced by the lighting and Franz Planer's superb photography. On the other hand it also falls into the category of a lone individual taking on the crime syndicate that holds sway over the town. At the centre is a convincing, well-judged performance from Anthony Quinn as McBride, bringing what could have been a stock character to life, his quick-temper cooling as he starts to figure out what is going on. The stunning Peggie Castle, so unforgettable in the previous year's Spillane, I The Jury, features prominently in the slightly sadistic but most memorable scene toward the end.
In one sense almost a classic Noir of an amnesiac trying to piece together his past, menaced by criminals and the law and becoming involved with four glamorous women, with the requisite Noir atmosphere enhanced by the lighting and Franz Planer's superb photography. On the other hand it also falls into the category of a lone individual taking on the crime syndicate that holds sway over the town. At the centre is a convincing, well-judged performance from Anthony Quinn as McBride, bringing what could have been a stock character to life, his quick-temper cooling as he starts to figure out what is going on. The stunning Peggie Castle, so unforgettable in the previous year's Spillane, I The Jury, features prominently in the slightly sadistic but most memorable scene toward the end.