Steve Cochran 's investigation is never that much exciting ;his wooden acting does not help.
On the other hand ,Lizabeth Scott ,one of the film noir most glamorous girls ,second only to Bacall and Grahame in this field, cast against type ,is excellent in her role of an English widow housewife (whose husband died with his weapon in his hand) .She's deeply moving ,after the visit to the morgue when she burst into tears, feeling for this mom whose child is there ,lying on cold stone; and forgetting ,even if just for a while ,that her own brat is still in jeopardy .
It echoes to Vivienne's pessimistic view of life ; it's very rare that a supporting character is given the opportunity to express such despair .French Nicole Maurey ,who worked with Robert Bresson but never really became a star in her native country , as an user has already pointed out ,plays the part which was tailor made for Scott , and she pulls it off efficiently .
Much more than Cochran's investigation , the boy's wandering in the streets of london remains credible at least till the time where all the walls are covered with posters .John Whiteley's questioning look works wonder here,even if "the weapon" does not equal previous great efforts such as Lang's "moonfleet " and
the extraordinary "hunted " (which paired him with Dirk Bogarde whom he met again in a watered down version of Cronin's "the Spanish gardener").His playing always rings true ;like in "hunted" he flees from the adult world :after all , his crime would never have happened if man had not invented war; it's no coincidence if his mates choose to play war to grab the famous weapon.
There are plot holes (mainly concerning the villain)but there's never a dull moment in this short thriller.Besides,there's a welcome sense of humor : the brat asleep under a pile of newspapers on which his photograph hits the headlines.
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