Viewing Date: 11-18-2003
Posting Date: 4-16-2004
Directed by Jack Bernhard
Featuring Jean Gillie, Edward Norris, Robert Armstrong
A moll intent on getting the fortune of her convicted gangster boyfriend recruits a crook and a naive doctor into her scheme.
Despite the fact that film noirs rely as much on mood as horror movies do, I haven't had much of a chance to cover them as part of this series because they so rarely cross the line into the fantastic. This one does, however, since part of the plot involves a drug that can revive a man sent to the gas chamber if the body can be retrieved in an hour's time. This one is quite memorable, with a great opening sequence, a fascinating story, and a scene-stealing performance by Sheldon Leonard as the nattiest flatfoot in town. The title doesn't make a lot of sense until you get to the end of the movie, so be patient; it's definitely worth the wait.
