Complete credited cast: | |||
Robert Mitchum | ... | Jeff Cameron | |
Faith Domergue | ... | Margo | |
Claude Rains | ... | Mr. Lannington | |
Maureen O'Sullivan | ... | Julie | |
Charles Kemper | ... | Police Chief | |
Ralph Dumke | ... | Klauber | |
Billy House | ... | Mr. Bogardus | |
Harry Shannon | ... | Dr. Maynard | |
Philip Van Zandt | ... | Milo DeLong | |
Jack Kelly | ... | Dr. Mullenbach | |
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Lillian West | ... | Mrs. Bogardus |
One night at the hospital, young doctor Jeff Cameron meets Margo, who's brought in after a suicide attempt. He quickly falls for her and they become romantically involved, but it turns out that Margo is married. At a confrontation, Margo's husband is killed and Jeff and Margo flee. Heading for Mexico, they try to outrun the law. Written by Leon Wolters <wolters@strw.LeidenUniv.nl>
I'm a noir fan but I never even heard of this picture until I bought the DVD noir collection it came in. As a result I wasn't expecting much and so I wasn't disappointed. It is a pretty pedestrian film which borders on tedious too often, and is more of a psychological melodrama rather than a straightforward film noir.
I always liked Robert Mitchum but he's trapped in a thankless part here - It's very unlike him to be buffaloed by a pretty skirt and his persona never lent itself to roles as cerebral as a doctor. He was, of course, a man of action and seems out of his element in this picture. I don't agree with those reviewers who hammered Faith Domergue - I thought she played her part well and I can't think of anyone who could have milked it any better than she did. A little more of Claude Rains could have helped matters but he got killed off in his only scene early on.
No telling what this movie was when first released - a weak 'A' or a better-than-average 'B'- but, as is, it's a passable effort by a director who has some pretty good films to his credit. I liked "Alias Nick Beal" and "The Big Clock", speaking for myself. It's just that this one could have been so much better.
All in all, it's worth a look but is not an important film or a noteworthy entry in Mitchums' career.