Great film. A big film full of brooding with simmering passions and crashing waves. Barbara Stanwyck is startlingly good in the central role as she takes us with her on her domestic roller coaster ride. Will she, won't she? What is it all about? Robert Ryan does well in an equally difficult role, somewhere between rock bottom loser and confident romantic lover. Paul Douglas seems to struggle at first as the humble good guy as he verges on the buffoon, but recovers and get stronger with the changing of his role. The fishing and factory scenes are tremendous and add much to the backbone of the story, illustrating the precarious security it provides those struggling to survive each other. Monroe shines in a minor role and is as irresistible as ever despite some unflattering clothes. This is not a noir and nor is it an early Lang classic but it is what it is, a very powerful and well told (and shot) melodrama of the highest order.
Review of Clash by Night
