A man murders his wife and children during a birthday part in Ohio, sets up their battered bodies like dolls, and disappears. The detective in charge of the case, Widmark, is so revolted by the scene that he becomes obsessed and determines to track down the vanished husband.
Meanwhile, we see a car crash on a highway in Washington state. There are two men in the car. One is burned beyond recognition; the other is Keith Carradine, so bashed up that he must undergo extensive cosmetic surgery and winds up spending so much time in the hospital that he and his nurse, Quinlan, fall in love and are married. Carradine, though he is able to become a successful businessman, can remember nothing of his past.
Years go by. Widmark has been forced into retirement. Then he receives an anonymous newspaper clipping that leads him to Carradine in Washington. Widmark meets Carradine, pokes around, and convinces himself that Carradine is the disgusting murderer from Ohio, only he can't prove it. Widmark believes that somewhere inside the successful businessman is a family murderer trying to get out. On his part, Carradine is disturbed by the accusation and does what he can to prove his innocence. Only occasionally does he drop a hint or two of instability.
The local police captain, Michael Beck, is a former lover of Quinlan's and it develops that he still has a fierce yen for her. He's built a kind of shrine to her in his bedroom. Would he like to get Carradine out of the way and get it on with Quinlan again? You bet he would.
Evidence accumulates until there are now three suspects of crimes and other acts that all point towards Carradine. Perhaps Widmark is right and Carradine can't entirely control his inner rage. Or the police captain, still in love with his ex paramour, may be trying to frame Carradine. Even Widmark, so convinced of Carradine's guilt, may be trying to frame him in order to put him away.
It's a nice set up with a lot of promise. I hate to say it but, what with all that inner and outer guilt, it's the kind of story that Hitchcock could have handled with aplomb. (All that's missing is the domineering mother.) As it stands, and I hate to say this too, it's a little flat because it's all done rather carelessly. The tinny musical score, with its electronic organ, sounds like it's ripped off from a cheap Italian sex movie. The direction is flat. During the last half, the writers lose the thread of the mystery and have thrown in some junk about hidden masks, serial rapists, and so forth. There are also chintz scenes of women in danger entering dark rooms, hooded figures appearing from the shadows.
The first half of the film is quite nicely done. And then, like the killer himself, it descends into the vulgate.
Meanwhile, we see a car crash on a highway in Washington state. There are two men in the car. One is burned beyond recognition; the other is Keith Carradine, so bashed up that he must undergo extensive cosmetic surgery and winds up spending so much time in the hospital that he and his nurse, Quinlan, fall in love and are married. Carradine, though he is able to become a successful businessman, can remember nothing of his past.
Years go by. Widmark has been forced into retirement. Then he receives an anonymous newspaper clipping that leads him to Carradine in Washington. Widmark meets Carradine, pokes around, and convinces himself that Carradine is the disgusting murderer from Ohio, only he can't prove it. Widmark believes that somewhere inside the successful businessman is a family murderer trying to get out. On his part, Carradine is disturbed by the accusation and does what he can to prove his innocence. Only occasionally does he drop a hint or two of instability.
The local police captain, Michael Beck, is a former lover of Quinlan's and it develops that he still has a fierce yen for her. He's built a kind of shrine to her in his bedroom. Would he like to get Carradine out of the way and get it on with Quinlan again? You bet he would.
Evidence accumulates until there are now three suspects of crimes and other acts that all point towards Carradine. Perhaps Widmark is right and Carradine can't entirely control his inner rage. Or the police captain, still in love with his ex paramour, may be trying to frame Carradine. Even Widmark, so convinced of Carradine's guilt, may be trying to frame him in order to put him away.
It's a nice set up with a lot of promise. I hate to say it but, what with all that inner and outer guilt, it's the kind of story that Hitchcock could have handled with aplomb. (All that's missing is the domineering mother.) As it stands, and I hate to say this too, it's a little flat because it's all done rather carelessly. The tinny musical score, with its electronic organ, sounds like it's ripped off from a cheap Italian sex movie. The direction is flat. During the last half, the writers lose the thread of the mystery and have thrown in some junk about hidden masks, serial rapists, and so forth. There are also chintz scenes of women in danger entering dark rooms, hooded figures appearing from the shadows.
The first half of the film is quite nicely done. And then, like the killer himself, it descends into the vulgate.