Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Michelle Ridley The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Alex da Silva Claire Trevor (Helen) returns home after a night out celebrating her divorce. When she arrives at her boarding house, she discovers that her fellow lodger Isabel Jewell (Laury) has been murdered along with boyfriend Tony Barrett (Danny). There is another boyfriend on the scene – psychotic Lawrence Tierney (Sam) – and you had better not make a monkey of him. He WILL kill you. The whole beginning sequence is well acted by all and throws you straight into the story. On discovering the bodies, Claire goes to call the police, picks up the phone but then stalls, puts the receiver down and walks away from the scene. She thinks and then returns to pick up the phone again……..and she calls the train station! Ha ha – fooled us all. It's at the train station where she meets the killer Tierney and a relationship is formed. There are complications to this relationship alongside the added pressure of boozy floozy landlady Esther Howard (Mrs Kraft) hiring PI Walter Slezak (Arnett) to find out who killed her lodger.All the cast are excellent, especially Claire Trevor and Esther Howard. They all have screen presence. The relationship between Tierney and fellow criminal Elisha Cook Jr (Marty) is given a very obvious gay subtext. Cook Jr is his bitch – no doubt about it. Tierney is scary and each member of the cast is given at least one powerful, emotional scene and delivers it as required. At the end of the film I think it's a bottle of beer for Ms Howard please!

JasparLamarCrabb A hard boiled near-masterpiece from Robert Wise. After killing two people (including his own girlfriend) in Reno, demented Lawrence Tierney makes tracks to San Francisco where he hooks up with society girl Claire Trevor. Tierney, who creeps everyone out, makes a play for Trevor's well-to-do sister, marries her and causes Trevor to go nuts. This is probably one of the most grim noirs. Top-billed Tierney gives a ferocious performance (says his doomed girlfriend, "He's the quiet sort. And yet you get the feeling if you stepped out of line he'd kick your teeth down your throat"). Trevor matches him step for step. Walter Slezak appears as pretty unsavory private eye. The supporting cast is excellent and includes Elisha Cook Jr., Isabel Jewell and Esther Howard as a very wacky (and very resourceful) landlady. Robert De Grasse did the great cinematography.

writers_reign The screenplay is something Harry Stephen Keeler might have written whilst heavily sedated. There's no back story for the male lead Lawrence Tierney nor for his relationship with Elisha Cooke Jnr; following Claire Trevor he finds her with her half-sister and fiancé. He tells the sister she will be seeing more of him Cut: they're married. Economical or sloppy writing. Three guesses. Lawrence, who was the elder brother of Scott Brady here bears more resemblance to Ray Milland albeit he has the acting ability of an amoeba with learning difficulties. Some of the best performances come from the support in the shape of Walter Slezak's private eye, sans moustache for once, and Esther Howard, looking as though she hasn't drawn a sober breath since she played Jesse Florian in Farewell, My Lovely. Watchable.

AaronCapenBanner Robert Wise directed this film noir that stars Lawrence Tierney as Sam Wild, a cold and ruthless killer who meets up with equally ruthless Helen Brent(played by Claire Trevor) on a train leaving San Francisco. They fall in love, but decide to marry other people in an effort to social climb and get rich, which includes Sam marrying Helen's wealthy foster sister! Helen doesn't know at first that Sam murdered a woman that she had known, but never told the police about because she didn't want to get involved, and that will come back to haunt her as suspicions and jealousies spiral out-of-control... Well-acted and directed thriller overcomes its contrived story by being quite interesting.