It's quite enjoyable in a pared down, tightly budgeted way. Frank Lovejoy's sourness is petty pungent, he has the face and manner of man who never once got out of bed on the right side.That brashness and a few flashes of brutality give it the hard-boiled air it needs to compensate for the generally flat and uninspired visuals in the early stages. That aspect improves in the latter part though.
Carey is just... strange, almost to the point of distraction. Every time I see him I find myself wondering what new random twitchiness he's going to indulge in, or what kind of rhythmic spanner he'll throw into the delivery of his lines.
Tucker makes for an interesting villain, his soft-spoken approach worked for me. I'll always think of him primarily as a western actor, someone whose look, sound and bearing belonged in the genre. That said, I have a soft spot for the Sci-Fi efforts he made in Britain, especially the haunting and thoughtful The Abominable Snowman. As far as noir is concerned, are this movie and Hoodlum Empire his only noteworthy titles?
Colin
http://livius1.com/
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