It takes a lot for me to forgive a film that centers around a child, especially an obnoxious one like this. I hated Driscoll throughout the picture and he's undoubtedly its weakest link. But Tetzlaff otherwise delivers a stunning noir. The photography is amazing, capturing the grittiness, desperation and danger of the urban setting beautifully. The script is solid, building tension at a steady pace, culminating in a lengthy and gripping chase sequence. A great film with a lousy protagonist.

Bobby Driscoll is irritating but it works for the character, a boy who cried wolf too many times and now no one will believe him. It's predictable and some of the actions make no sense other than to take the plot to its inevitable syrupy conclusion. And yet, even with all those strikes against it, it still manages to be a pretty gripping little story with some solid adult performances, a realistic sense of dread and some good photography. And it all leads to a well executed climax.

On a visually level it's impressive; director (and erstwhile DP) Ted Tetzlaff uses a child's viewpoint of a city cast in long shadows to heighten the suspense. However, it's film noir for kids, and the "boy cried wolf" moral stops everything cold.