A decidedly mixed bag. Some of the dialogue is really good, but a lot of it is absolutely terrible. Mankiewicz does an okay job, but doesn't bring much pizzazz to it. Where we really have problems, however, is the acting. Hodiak is decent in the lead, but Guild is a poor man's Lauren Bacall... a VERY poor man's. Pretty face, lousy actress. Fortunately the film is salvaged by a number of great character actors. And the plot, although convoluted, is a good deal of fun and trucks along nicely.

I'm probably overrating this because it's not very good, really. Contrived, derivative (the femme fatale is even named Phyllis!) and kind of uninspired. Still, I found its algamam of noir conventions enjoyable enough; plus Guild and Woode are far from hard on the eyes. And I really like Richard Conte, he was a bona fide movie star.