The main problem is the ridiculous amount of pre-heist buildup. The meat of the movie is in the last half hour or so, but once you get there, it's pretty good meat. It's not really "true" noir, but it's close enough, especially at the climax. The earlier parts of the movie have a lot of comic dialogue, most of which is actually quite well-written. Karlson also shoots the film very well with a number of very good shots. A flawed but generally fun picture.