Hitchcock lifts what is essentially a routine love triangle story set against the boxing world by use of a visually inventive style that even then must have marked him out as one to watch. The story really is pretty meaningless, serving merely as a canvas upon which Hitch can experiment, unrestrained it seems from any interference from BIP. He distorts images on POV shots to communicate the emotions and state of mind of his characters, and uses symbolism to an unusually large degree. Those must have been heady days for Hitchcock, presented with a big malleable toy and seemingly given licence to do with it whatever he wished.