Considering the film was directed by Fritz Lang and starred Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan and Paul Douglas, it should have been a better film. The problem is that while the overall plot of boredom and adultery is pretty interesting, the development of the characters left a lot to be desired. Despite this NOT being a film about crime of any sort, the dialog and way it was delivered sounded exactly like a pulp magazine or Film Noir flick. And while this was interesting for a short time, it just wasn't appropriate to the story. The fishing villages along the West Coast and this dialog,...together?! Also, the characters, with the exception of Paul Douglas, were awfully one-dimensional and despicable. Even though Douglas was indeed lonely, it was painfully obvious by the way she talked and treated everyone that Stanwyck was a self-absorbed tramp! And the same can definitely be said for Robert Ryan and even Douglas' uncle, played by J. Caroll Nash. I just couldn't stand them and it was ridiculous that any of these people could pass as anything other than scum--exactly the type people who nice people like Paul Douglas NEVER would have consorted with or called friends. Had the "bad" characters been bad but in a toned-down and realistic way, the movie would have been so much better. Subtle characterizations and better dialog would have lifted this movie above mediocrity. Robert Ryan was a filthy-minded drunk,...period. Stanwyck was a tramp who had run out of options but still as a tramp down deep,...period. And, Nash was a selfish sponge who wasn't worth a plug nickel,...period. No other side to their characters were revealed (except for Stanwyck who underwent some sort of bizarre conversion at the end).
And speaking of the end, the ending just seemed almost impossible to believe. Had Stanwyck shown ANY hint of being capable of loving, then it might have worked. But having this selfish woman "come to her senses" just rang hollow. Instead, the movie could have ended in many other ways that would have been more satisfying--such as a murder-suicide or something with real "punch". As it was, it ended with a whimper.
And speaking of the end, the ending just seemed almost impossible to believe. Had Stanwyck shown ANY hint of being capable of loving, then it might have worked. But having this selfish woman "come to her senses" just rang hollow. Instead, the movie could have ended in many other ways that would have been more satisfying--such as a murder-suicide or something with real "punch". As it was, it ended with a whimper.