Imagine the plight of Steve, a good man, who gets tangled in a web of intrigue; he is suspected of having killed a policeman during a robbery gone bad. This young man has been hired by the criminals to drive his truck without knowing what he was getting into. Steve, who has been married for a short time to the beautiful Anne, has no choice but to hide, not only from the law, but also from the real bandits who pointed him out to the cops as the one responsible for the crime. Walter Radak, the head of the gang, blames Steve for botching the heist, where his younger brother was caught by the police and soon will die.
Everything is against Steve. When he tries to buy a used car, he is cheated by the unscrupulous owner of the lot. He is a good man who can't get anyone to believe in him. Finally, Steve and Anne find a quiet life with her relatives in a secluded farm, where he reasons, is too far from where Radak and his men will look for him. Steve finds the kind detective Ferrari who believes in him and wants to use him to get to the real bad guys.
Anthony Mann staged this film with an eye to detail. The magnificent fight scene where the naked light bulb goes over all of the gang, illuminating their faces as it keeps swinging above their heads, has to be one of the best effects in the film. The last sequence in the staircase of Steve's apartment house was another touch by Mr. Mann to take the viewer to witness the action.
Steve Brodie is the man being pursued until the end by Radak and his gang. Raymond Burr's Walter Radak points out to the range of this actor, who made a lot of films as the heavy, as he does in this film. Audrey Long plays Anne, Steve's wife. Jason Robards Sr. has a couple of effective scenes as the Lt. Ferrari, the man who knows about Steve's innocence.
Mr. Mann was lucky in working with George Diskant as his cinematographer. The camera placings and shooting angles both men created in this film is what made the film noir genre so immensely appealing to audiences.
Everything is against Steve. When he tries to buy a used car, he is cheated by the unscrupulous owner of the lot. He is a good man who can't get anyone to believe in him. Finally, Steve and Anne find a quiet life with her relatives in a secluded farm, where he reasons, is too far from where Radak and his men will look for him. Steve finds the kind detective Ferrari who believes in him and wants to use him to get to the real bad guys.
Anthony Mann staged this film with an eye to detail. The magnificent fight scene where the naked light bulb goes over all of the gang, illuminating their faces as it keeps swinging above their heads, has to be one of the best effects in the film. The last sequence in the staircase of Steve's apartment house was another touch by Mr. Mann to take the viewer to witness the action.
Steve Brodie is the man being pursued until the end by Radak and his gang. Raymond Burr's Walter Radak points out to the range of this actor, who made a lot of films as the heavy, as he does in this film. Audrey Long plays Anne, Steve's wife. Jason Robards Sr. has a couple of effective scenes as the Lt. Ferrari, the man who knows about Steve's innocence.
Mr. Mann was lucky in working with George Diskant as his cinematographer. The camera placings and shooting angles both men created in this film is what made the film noir genre so immensely appealing to audiences.