Good concept, easy watch, some bad moments but gets progressively better up until the end. The beginning is so awful, it looks cheesy and the murder scene is laughable. The music needed to be dialed down a bit as well, a bit too invasive for me. I still enjoyed it a lot but it isn't flawless.

This is another great film noir. I had no idea how this one was going to end. The 4 lead roles were all played perfectly.

Four fantastic, and varied, performances are the key to the film, as is a strong and well crafted dramatic arc. The few dubious plot points are addressed and the whole thing is just a joy to watch. The underlying themes of guilt, regret and moral codes is quite well done.

Great performances by the 4 leads (including Douglas in an atypically wussy-boy role). But several aspects of the plot were a bit goofy (Heflin just deciding on the spur of the moment to revisit, and his fortuitous meeting with Scott). Also the whole thing was a bit static; it often seemed more a situation than a story. Lots of atmosphere anyway, and I must say that the characters of the prologue meshed rather seamlessly with their adult counterparts.

A terrific exploration of manipulation, desperation, power and obsession. A little slow moving, but definitely worth it for the high points, especially the climax. Stanwyck and Douglas are both absolutely superb. And Lizabeth Scott has a wonderful, shabby quality to her. But there are a few drawbacks. Van Heflin in the lead is actually the weakest link in the cast. I also felt the direction could use some more pizzazz. The score is far too prominent and needs some dialing back.

offers complex characters, relations and events with a powerful archaic subtext. this is a very well written film for its time.

Superior, and way too underappreciated, noir. This has it all and you can't go wrong with Stanwyck as femme fatale.

Stanwyck gives a bravura performance as the wealthy neurotic; equally fine is Douglas as her bitter, weak husband.

It gets off to a shoddy start, with some horrible child actors and one of the most laughable murder scenes I've ever witnessed. Things pick up soon enough, though. It's an interesting concept, very well written and well played by Stanwyck, Heflin, and Douglas.

The only (And I mean only) reason to see this film is the performance from Barbara Stanwyck which is outrageously good and better than this film deserves.