Very well-plotted. Some interesting use of silhouettes and long shadows. The protagonist is about as amoral as any noir protagonist and the dialogue is snappy and loaded, selling the film's dominant theme of the mingling of business and pleasure. Nevertheless, the film never recovers from its very sluggish first act, and the lack of truly memorable imagery makes this a largely forgettable film, notable mostly as Kim Novak's debut.

There's a heavy voyeurism vibe going on that's very interesting. Quine's direction is not terribly inventive, but it's solid, and the story is quite well-plotted with a lot of tension as MacMurray and Novak's scheme unravels. For the average joe this is probably a weak film, but for a noir fan it does the trick. The leads are both strong, with good supporting performances. The photography is a little flat at times, but some scenes really shine, especially towards the end. Lousy music, though.