* contains spoilers *
A first class little thriller, which contains scenes of violence [torture by electric shock] and death [by farm tractor and harrow!] which were surely very explicit for its period, and remain quite shocking today. Also shocking is the idea that Ricardo Montalban's character is unable to prevent the death of his fellow-agent. Expectations are upset - can a hero really be allowed to die [at least one user, below, has been upset by the film's refusal to follow the set formula] ?
And yes, it IS noir [although that is surely a subjective term], for the photography, the bleakness, the cynicism...
Deserves a place in the collection of anyone interested in late 40s US film. Excellent.
A first class little thriller, which contains scenes of violence [torture by electric shock] and death [by farm tractor and harrow!] which were surely very explicit for its period, and remain quite shocking today. Also shocking is the idea that Ricardo Montalban's character is unable to prevent the death of his fellow-agent. Expectations are upset - can a hero really be allowed to die [at least one user, below, has been upset by the film's refusal to follow the set formula] ?
And yes, it IS noir [although that is surely a subjective term], for the photography, the bleakness, the cynicism...
Deserves a place in the collection of anyone interested in late 40s US film. Excellent.