A favorite of mine, and one we wrote up in detail as part of what we called "Kefauver noir" in the e-zine back in the day.

I think it would be fascinating to see two versions of the film with Holden and O'Brien switching roles. But I do think Holden is really top-notch here, lots of nuance merged with the flashiness in this part. I think it's one of his best performances.

And maybe at some Noir City Eddie will decide to showcase Alexis Smith, who has a string of excellent noir performances that deserve more focused scrutiny. She threads the needle exceptionally well here...