Very enjoyable. The "we'll tell you what happened... here are the facts" approach of this procedural noir works. Together with 'Donnie Brasco' this is probably my favorite movie about going undercover. It features some wonderfully tense moments, well directed by Mann, and it's superbly photographed by Alton; a prime example of chiaroscuro lighting. Maybe I'm imagining this but some of the shots in the scenes by the docks reminded me a lot of the ones in 'The Usual Suspects'.

Great camerawork, but everything else is dull.

The good cinematography creates a very effective atmosphere balancing both the seedy nature of the surroundings and the underlying morality of the cops. The acting is solid and the story very well structured story with a surprising willingness to get a little dark. Unfortunately a lot of this was undermined by the overbearing and useless narration. This is made worse by the bookends framing this as a propaganda piece for the treasury investigative unit. Such a shame.

The narration is pretty hokey, although it does provide a few great lines. The actors are all good, but none stand out except maybe Wallace. The plot is old hat, but moves at a good clip and builds tension nicely. The real star is cinematographer John Alton. This is practically a textbook example of noir photography, with some really stunning shots, perfect compositions and beautiful high-contrast lighting. Worth seeing for the visual aspects alone, but even without that it's a fine movie.

An excellent B movie. Anthony Mann creates great noir atmosphere in this cheapie. Features a fine performance by veteran character actor Wallace Ford.

One of the rare cases in which the cameraman steals the movie. The photography works better than anything else in the film. It's no longer possible to take this movie seriously after the line, "Do you know what it's like to spend ten days in a steam bath looking for a man?"