A not particularly well known film noir although it has some distinction - the last movie of Roy William Neill, a leading role for Dan Duryea, a cast also including Peter Lorre and Broderick Crawford. The set up is intriguing... a woman is killed and her lover arrested for the crime; the lover's wife then teams up with the dead woman's husband to find out whodunnit.
I think the movie makers were hoping for another Laura - there's a bitchy columnist who knew the dead woman - but June Vincent isn't very inspiring in the lead and lacks chemistry in the lead. Peter Lorre is always good value, with his cigarette flopping out of his mouth and looking shady; Crawford seems too young, Duryea really is a supporting actor rather than a lead. There's some over acting support cast and some tripping drinking montages, and a not entirely satisfactory plot. Best thing about it is the end with Duryea realising that (spoilers) he did it. It's a good twist but that's all really - the rest of the movie isn't as good as you'd hope it would be.
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