A man is released after 18 years for killing his father, and falls right into hot water again when he meets a dodgy dancehall dame. Starts out strong and fizzles out. In the early stages, it's classic noir, with an intriguing femme fatale, appealing stylization, a rough edge and some good on-the-lam scenes. Then Ruth Roman's character takes a rather unbelievable turn and the film becomes a pretty dull melodrama. Once in a while an interesting facet will surface, but it's a big dropoff from the movie's early promise. Other films have pulled off this kind of shift quite nicely: ON DANGEROUS GROUND and ONE WAY STREET come to mind. But here it feels like the air being drained from a tire. Steve Cochran is pretty good throughout, and Roman is excellent up until the change (when she goes from blonde to brunette). While the movie never gets bad, it does get disappointing. The ending is a little too convenient as well.
Review of Tomorrow Is Another Day
