Having spent 14 years in prison for crimes during prohibition, the melancholy Burt Lancaster has returned home to try to muscle in on what he rightfully believes is partially his, now controlled by old pal Kirk Douglas who has turned their previous illegal enterprise into a corporation. Douglas's bookkeeper (Wendell Corey), a younger brother figure to Lancaster, has greatly aged in Lancaster's time away, obviously consumed with guilt over the illegal activities he has had to do at Douglas's demands, and now must keep Lancaster at bay as well. Lancaster takes it into his own hands to try to force his way in, but as Douglas charmingly tells him, only the board of directors can approve such changes. This leads to Douglas having Lancaster badly beaten up and turns Douglas's songstress mistress (Lizabeth Scott) onto Lancaster's side, tired of Douglas's involvement with a pushy, wealthy widow (Kristen Miller). Sudden betrayal leads to Lancaster being accused of murder, and along with Scott, Lancaster must find a way of clearing his name and see justice finally served, in this case, a cold dish as justice through revenge is normally presented.
Along with "The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers", "Desert Fury" and many others, this is a series of Hal B. Wallis produced film noirs where many of the same actors got together as sort of a repertoire company to show off the dark sides of the post war society. Whether returning from war duty, prison, out of town jobs or just drifting along, many of the protagonists here found themselves up against evils they couldn't control, yet were far from noble characters themselves. Lancaster's Frankie is moody, amoral and not above breaking the law. Yet he is aware that he had broke the law which sent him up the river, but is bitter because nobody from the old rackets stood beside him. Douglas, smiling and sly, is a great villain, while Corey is appropriately stone cold as a character barely living whom Lancaster notices seems older than him even though he's younger. Scott, who could go from cold and calculating to purring like a kitten, is a combination of a vixen and a very melancholy baby, but knowing when a bad deal is done, even by the man she thinks she loves. Originally considered for Scott's role, Kristen Miller is deliciously bitchy and cold as the nasty socialite keeping Douglas under her thumb. Unfortunately, her role is underdeveloped, and she pretty much disappears from the second half of the film.
Having seen Lancaster (in a good guy role), Scott (in a very similar part) and Corey (in a supporting role with homosexual overtones) in the color film noir "Desert Fury", I wanted to see how this would compare, and found it to be even better. Douglas basically plays the type of part that John Hodiak had been cast in "Desert Fury", but there are enough twists and turns to make this unique. The film is elaborately designed and photographed, especially the elegant nightclub, and deliciously darkly lit for the intense finale where everything comes out into the open. Then there are some great outdoor shots of Lancaster and Scott on the run, going back into the city for the final confrontation, unconcerned about Lancaster being looked for by the police for murder as he knows they would be looking for him the opposite way. The musical score in the background nicely adds to the tension, although i would have loved to have heard the title song used more often rather than the upbeat jazzy way it is briefly heard. Still, this is one of the better late 40's film noir with an outstanding cast and everything else pulling it together in a tight little package.
