"Tense and pulpy." - Eric Henderson

Widmark and Douglas are both wonderful, setting up the classic hate-each-other-then-earn-other's-respect dynamic. The other performances are just as winning. As is often the case with these movies, watching the bad guys is a lot more enjoyable than watching the good guys, and its those segments that are the most noir-ish. But the manhunt scenes are quite compelling as well, and the film as a whole really holds up. Fantastic chase scene at the end, with a number of memorable shots along the way.

Panic isn't quite as palpable in the film as I'd like it to be, but it's there, especially in the potential for panic. And that's enough to carry a very tight script with two great lead performances from Widmark and Douglas, and superb supporting one from Palance. Kazan likes to imbue his films with a swath of moral gray area, and this film is no different with the conflict between individual and communal good running through the film in various flavours.

Nothing special,though its theme is quite modern it has a good noirish 50's feel to it.

Starts off very brightly with the chase and the murder, but then gets a bit hamstrung by the tedious domestic scenes with Widmark's wife and his bratty kid (who thankfully isn't it that much). Jack Palance is suitably badass. There's an epic scene near the end where he catapults a dying guy off a stretcher down a flight of stairs. Harsh.

The cast, which is comprised largely of unprofessional N.O. locals, is great. The performances are all very naturalistic, unlike a lot of other films from the period. The tension lies in the urgency of the investigation and the unrest it causes, and the believability of the setting and the people in it makes it more effective. Outside of the great acting though, this noir doesn't do anything else particularly new or grand, but it's still an enjoyable watch.