"Don't you wanna know what's going on in the world?" "What's going on in the world stinks!"...truly fun cast (including Chuck in his debut), though Lizabeth Scott seems a bit out of place as the poor dumb sap waitin' for her man (as well as contributing a decidedly unfunky version of "That Ol Black Magic"). Lots of snapping-cool noir dialogue, and Waxman blows out all the stops in places. The climax is a real whizbang...only to betray us by an abrupt Hollywoodish about-face at the very end.

Heston's all right here, and there's some enjoyable supporting performances, but leading lady Lizabeth Scott is a cold fish in this. Plus she gets far too many torch songs, which she's not very good at. The film has some great moments and a nice Waxman score, but really flounders in the third act, where it takes a forced, unlikely romantic turn and loses a lot of momentum. Some noticeably shoddy rear projection, too. Pretty blah overall, even for a diehard noir fan, could use a little more zing.