I couldn't help but feel that this story could have used a good rewrite after the first draft, because things occur that beg explanation and they're simply glossed over. The biggest one of these is why Kathy Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) gave up her career and a move to New York City to marry L. A. Police Captain Bill Doyle (Sterling Hayden). Sure, the chemistry was there, but she pretty much made it a point that she had ambition, even degrading Doyle early in the story for his lack of it - "For me, life has to be something more than that."
Anyway, after a series of broken lunch dates with her husband, inane small talk with the wives of other police officers, and enough already with the lavender beads and iridescent chiffon, Kathy takes the initiative to get Bill moved up in the police ranks. A move to the Beverly Hills PD which Kathy demanded was on the table for about a minute, until it wasn't, making for another sudden turn that was a puzzler. And then, in one of the biggest question marks in the story, Bill finds an accusatory letter concerning Kathy being involved with another member of the police force. Now why would she leave that just lying around? Bill had no suspicion and didn't even have to look for it, he just came out of the bedroom with it to confront his wife.
Fast forward to the ending, and Kathy is raging over her husband's boss (Raymond Burr), with whom she had a brief affair, presumably to enhance Bill's standing in the department. Tony Pope's (Burr) refusal to continue their affair leads to his undoing, as Kathy shoots him with a gun she stole from an evidence table at the station. That too seemed rather unlikely, though for a Fifties movie, I guess you could allow it some slack. As forensics eventually identifies the gun that killed Pope, Bill Doyle realizes his wife is on the hook for murder. Again, in a somewhat odds defying denouement, Kathy simply admits the truth and gives herself up. If not for the principals in this film, this might have been a bummer of a story, but with Stanwyck, Hayden and Burr in primary roles, it at least passed muster as interesting. I always like to see Royal Dano show up in a picture as well.
Anyway, after a series of broken lunch dates with her husband, inane small talk with the wives of other police officers, and enough already with the lavender beads and iridescent chiffon, Kathy takes the initiative to get Bill moved up in the police ranks. A move to the Beverly Hills PD which Kathy demanded was on the table for about a minute, until it wasn't, making for another sudden turn that was a puzzler. And then, in one of the biggest question marks in the story, Bill finds an accusatory letter concerning Kathy being involved with another member of the police force. Now why would she leave that just lying around? Bill had no suspicion and didn't even have to look for it, he just came out of the bedroom with it to confront his wife.
Fast forward to the ending, and Kathy is raging over her husband's boss (Raymond Burr), with whom she had a brief affair, presumably to enhance Bill's standing in the department. Tony Pope's (Burr) refusal to continue their affair leads to his undoing, as Kathy shoots him with a gun she stole from an evidence table at the station. That too seemed rather unlikely, though for a Fifties movie, I guess you could allow it some slack. As forensics eventually identifies the gun that killed Pope, Bill Doyle realizes his wife is on the hook for murder. Again, in a somewhat odds defying denouement, Kathy simply admits the truth and gives herself up. If not for the principals in this film, this might have been a bummer of a story, but with Stanwyck, Hayden and Burr in primary roles, it at least passed muster as interesting. I always like to see Royal Dano show up in a picture as well.