An alcoholic ex-cop, now the house detective at a scuzzy hotel in an
even scuzzier part of town, stumbles through New York City's sleazy
underworld searching for his kidnapped son.
Low-budget Noir crime drama has its flaws, but it has a menacing atmosphere, good b/w cinematography and some twists and turns in its plot.
Hit men kill an unresisting victim, and an investigator uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly woman.
Film noir classic with extraordinary b/w photography and excellent
performances, Ava Gardner, however, is not quite convincing as femme
fatale; the plot is more an imagination about Ernest Hemingways story
than an adaptation.
On renewed viewing: Hemingway's famous short story is merely the trigger for an intriguing, complex Noir crime story, arguably one of genre's best; both Lancaster as the 'innocent' cuckold and Gardner as the inscrutable femme fatale set standards with their performances.
Halliwell***: "Elaborate tale of cross and double-cross, stunningly executed."
Maltin****: "Compelling crime drama...Film provides fireworks, early success of Lancaster (in film debut) and Gardner."
