Iconic Film-Noir from Director Anthony Mann with Incredible Impressionistic Cinematography from John Alton. At the Beginning of the Post-War entries in the Genre it set a Stylized Template that would be Imitated for Years.
Not Enough can be said about the Alton Look of the Film. Silhouetted Darkness in front of Glaring Light gives the Impression of Another World Separated from but Linked to Reality in a Disturbing Dimension of a World Out of Sync. A Place of an Underworld that Preys Upon the Innocent.
Included in this Ground-Breaker of a Movie are Dennis O'Keefe Dragging on a Cigarette throughout as a Tough as Nails Treasury Agent, Charles MaGraw as a Sweaty, Immoral Thug, and Wallace Ford as the "Schemer" a Pulp Name if there ever was one.
Also, Not to be Denied and making an Impression as an Italian American is Alfred Ryder, very Convincing as an Every-Man doing His Bit for His Country.
This is one of those that all Film-Noir are Compared. It is Definitive and Dramatic with some Hard Bitten Violence and Hard-Boiled Dialog. The Setting of the City is Unmistakably Noir and the Atmosphere is Chilling and Disturbing.
The Opening where, in the Post-War World is another of those Contemporary Boasting that the Government, along with Dedicated Agents and the Latest Technology is a Force that is Leading the World Toward Democracy and Decency is a Flawed Pretension that is the Movie's Greatest Weakness. A Dated Technique that is a Bit Much for Modern Audiences.
That this Jingoism can be Ignored and listed as Inconsequential in the end is a Testament to the Raw Power of the Film, which is so Substantial as to make the Lesser Parts Rendered Remote and can be Forgiven.
This is Simply One of the Best of the Genre and Images from the Great John Alton Frame are Used Frequently to Illustrate the Look of Film-Noir.
Not Enough can be said about the Alton Look of the Film. Silhouetted Darkness in front of Glaring Light gives the Impression of Another World Separated from but Linked to Reality in a Disturbing Dimension of a World Out of Sync. A Place of an Underworld that Preys Upon the Innocent.
Included in this Ground-Breaker of a Movie are Dennis O'Keefe Dragging on a Cigarette throughout as a Tough as Nails Treasury Agent, Charles MaGraw as a Sweaty, Immoral Thug, and Wallace Ford as the "Schemer" a Pulp Name if there ever was one.
Also, Not to be Denied and making an Impression as an Italian American is Alfred Ryder, very Convincing as an Every-Man doing His Bit for His Country.
This is one of those that all Film-Noir are Compared. It is Definitive and Dramatic with some Hard Bitten Violence and Hard-Boiled Dialog. The Setting of the City is Unmistakably Noir and the Atmosphere is Chilling and Disturbing.
The Opening where, in the Post-War World is another of those Contemporary Boasting that the Government, along with Dedicated Agents and the Latest Technology is a Force that is Leading the World Toward Democracy and Decency is a Flawed Pretension that is the Movie's Greatest Weakness. A Dated Technique that is a Bit Much for Modern Audiences.
That this Jingoism can be Ignored and listed as Inconsequential in the end is a Testament to the Raw Power of the Film, which is so Substantial as to make the Lesser Parts Rendered Remote and can be Forgiven.
This is Simply One of the Best of the Genre and Images from the Great John Alton Frame are Used Frequently to Illustrate the Look of Film-Noir.