Clearly made as a "women's picture", it is not a great movie, but it has some fine performances. The dialog varies from strong to slightly self-conscious. But what's interesting about this film is the persistent, underlying sense of menace. The triangle situation is familiar, and perhaps the presence of Stanwyck and Robert Ryan make one suspect that something deadly is going to happen. But because of the intended audience, the bulk of the violence is emotional, psychological violence. I think it is director Lang's touch that makes this stuff so scary. It's hard to shake the fear that the consequences will finally come any moment, and that they will be fatal, final.
Review of Clash by Night
