Dans l'ombre de San Francisco

While out late one night walking his dog, Frank Johnson finds himself in the unwanted situation of being a witness to a murder, the killer sees Frank and fires two shots but misses. The police arrive and inform Frank that as he can identify the killer he has to be taken in protective custody, as the man killed was also a witness in a case against a big mob boss and he will surely be the next target. However, fearful for his life Frank goes on the run. His wife Eleanor (Ann Sheridan) soon finds out that he husband is not the person she had been bored with, but an intelligent, talented and witty man that many people like for many reasons, believing her marriage was in permanent decline, she suddenly remembers why she loved him in the first place and sets out to find him with the help of a a very eager local reporter Danny Leggett (Dennis O'Keeffe) intent on a big story that might just save his own career. The search is made all the more frantic when Eleanor discovers Frank had been hiding a heart defect from her and that the police have ordered all pharmacies not to give out his required drug without their say so.

Woman on the Run completes my viewing of Antonius Block's Top 100 Noir list and its a good one to finish with, it starts quite slowly but ups the tension with each passing minute,as the police and the killer also join the chase. O'Keeffe and Sheridan are both excellent in their respective roles and for such a low budget film, there is some very fine camera-work, in particular the scenes in the amusement park at the finish. The only thing that irked me just a little was the identity of the killer was given away too soon, albeit a nice twist, but then at a brisk 77 mins, I can't really have too much to complain about. I watched the Alpha Video disc and being a fan of Foster's work I would certainly be interested in seeing a better print of this film.