This movie is so bad that people deserve to be warned about it. In fact, this junk was only supposed to be 55 minutes long, but to stay in the feature film category, incompetent director Arthur Ripley included a 30-minute segment of nonsense. So let's divide this crap into 3 parts, to clarify the victims who intend to watch this bomb.
Part 1: in the initial 30 minutes the basic story of the film takes place (this first part will be the most exciting part of the film, everything that comes after that is a waste of time): Robert Cummings, a former navy soldier, finds a wallet on the street, hands it to the owner, Steve Cochran, who is a violent and misogynist mobster, and Cummings becomes Cochran's driver. The entire movie is full of improbability, and here are some of them: Cochran cuts his hair with a hat (has anyone ever seen someone cut their hair wearing a hat?); Cochran's wife, Michèle Morgan, who has run away from her husband and mysteriously has a desire to go to Havana (don't ask me why she wants to go specifically to Cuba, that's not a political reason and this is not revealed); Cochran mysteriously locks Lloyd Corrigan in his cellar (don't ask me why he wants to kill Corrigan, this is not revealed), who before his time comes, enjoys looking at a bottle of 1815 Napoleon brandy, and is immediately eaten alive by the Cochran's pet dog. Finally, Cummings buys two tickets to Havana, Don Wilson watches him buy the tickets (in the third part, I'll return to the complex case of Wilson's character), and arranges with Morgan to take her on the 9:30pm trip. He takes advantage of the fact that it's early, and goes to sleep a little, after all, nobody is made of iron. Viewers should do the same, turn off the movie, and go to sleep.
Part 2: starts from 30 minutes of film, until completing 60 minutes of film. What was filmed during that half hour is what most revolts the viewers. I understand the revolt because actually what seems to be exciting starts to get totally far-fetched, pointless, meaningless, and completely hallucinogenic. So forget all the nonsense filmed in this 30-minute film: ship trip; Cummings playing piano and having sex with Morgan; the coachman (Martin Garralaga), saying that the horses are tired; the dancing and horrible song in the Cuban nightclub; Morgan being murdered with a knife in her back; the long and damned scenes of the monkey-handled knife; Cummings on the run from the police; the murdered photographer; and Peter Lorre shooting 2 shots at Cummings. All of these scenes don't have to make sense for a single reason: this half hour is irrelevant to the movie's plot because they're part of a Cummings dream! Yes, this half hour of the movie is just a dream, it's all a lie, and nothing has anything to do with it. Sorry to discourage some movie lovers, but I must warn you that if you got carried away with this Cuban plot, you should examine your brains. This plot did not exist, it was all a dream of Cummings and you were made of morons, if you took this half hour seriously.
Part 3: let's get back to the movie now, and this is the most absurd part (if you thought you've seen too much bullshit, the worst comes now). This third part starts at 60 minutes of film and goes through the final 86 minutes. Cummings wakes up (yes, remember, half an hour ago, he lay down, took a nap, had a psychotic Cuban dream, and the viewers lost half an hour of your life), and calls your navy psychiatrist after all, he's absolutely not understanding what's going on with him (natural, considering this is a totally stupid movie). Jack Holt, his psychiatrist, explains to Cummings that he is a war psycho, so this demented behavior is natural. So, they go for some booze in a bar (don't ask me why these two imbeciles went for a drink in a bar, this is not revealed), and we find out that Holt is friends with Cochran and Lorre (don't ask me since when, or the relationship level, or because Holt knows the two mobsters, these things are not revealed). Then Cummings remembers that he has to take Morgan and go to Cuba (he finally remembered that ''little detail''), and goes to her. Cochran and Lorre find out from Don Wilson (didn't I say we'd get back to him?), that Cummings bought two tickets to Havana (don't ask me how Wilson knew Cummings was a Cochran driver, this is not revealed). Cummings and Morgan go to a ship, Cristobal (don't ask me why they took this ship, this is not revealed). Cochran finds out they took the Cristobal ship, but don't ask me how Cochran found out that his wife and her lover took the Cristobal ship, this is not revealed, and this time Cochran himself tells Lorre not to ask him how he knows Cummings and Morgan will take the ship Cristobal, as he doesn't even know why he knows this! I'm serious, if you doubt this ''amazing philosophical scene'', watch it if you dare. OK, we've come to the end, and I'll just mention one of Cochran's fun toys: he has the car accelerator pedal on the floor of the back seat of the car, and controls the car's speed himself, independent of the driver (don't ask me because he has this accessory in the car, let's say it is perhaps typical of every mobster's eccentricity, but the reason for this is not revealed). Peter Lorre is at the wheel, and Cochran is at the accelerator, and they go at an incredible speed, get hit by a train, and finally charred to death. Next, we see Cummings with a newspaper in hand, before the Cristobal ship leaves, telling Morgan that they don't need to worry about Cochran anymore (after all, he's finally dead). Don't ask me how Cummings got a newspaper with a story covering an accident that happened probably less than 30 minutes ago, this miracle of the fast press in 1946 is not revealed. And finally, in the last scene again we have Cummings kissing Morgan in a cart, and the same coachman, Garralaga, who said the horses were tired, is driving the cart, but this time, at least he doesn't say the horses are tired.
I hope I've clarified the main points of this ''fantastic'' work which has absolutely nothing of noir, it's just a romantic drama with half an hour of disconnected scenes from a hallucinogenic dream. Next time, better choose the movies you are going to watch, and don't waste your time anymore!
Part 1: in the initial 30 minutes the basic story of the film takes place (this first part will be the most exciting part of the film, everything that comes after that is a waste of time): Robert Cummings, a former navy soldier, finds a wallet on the street, hands it to the owner, Steve Cochran, who is a violent and misogynist mobster, and Cummings becomes Cochran's driver. The entire movie is full of improbability, and here are some of them: Cochran cuts his hair with a hat (has anyone ever seen someone cut their hair wearing a hat?); Cochran's wife, Michèle Morgan, who has run away from her husband and mysteriously has a desire to go to Havana (don't ask me why she wants to go specifically to Cuba, that's not a political reason and this is not revealed); Cochran mysteriously locks Lloyd Corrigan in his cellar (don't ask me why he wants to kill Corrigan, this is not revealed), who before his time comes, enjoys looking at a bottle of 1815 Napoleon brandy, and is immediately eaten alive by the Cochran's pet dog. Finally, Cummings buys two tickets to Havana, Don Wilson watches him buy the tickets (in the third part, I'll return to the complex case of Wilson's character), and arranges with Morgan to take her on the 9:30pm trip. He takes advantage of the fact that it's early, and goes to sleep a little, after all, nobody is made of iron. Viewers should do the same, turn off the movie, and go to sleep.
Part 2: starts from 30 minutes of film, until completing 60 minutes of film. What was filmed during that half hour is what most revolts the viewers. I understand the revolt because actually what seems to be exciting starts to get totally far-fetched, pointless, meaningless, and completely hallucinogenic. So forget all the nonsense filmed in this 30-minute film: ship trip; Cummings playing piano and having sex with Morgan; the coachman (Martin Garralaga), saying that the horses are tired; the dancing and horrible song in the Cuban nightclub; Morgan being murdered with a knife in her back; the long and damned scenes of the monkey-handled knife; Cummings on the run from the police; the murdered photographer; and Peter Lorre shooting 2 shots at Cummings. All of these scenes don't have to make sense for a single reason: this half hour is irrelevant to the movie's plot because they're part of a Cummings dream! Yes, this half hour of the movie is just a dream, it's all a lie, and nothing has anything to do with it. Sorry to discourage some movie lovers, but I must warn you that if you got carried away with this Cuban plot, you should examine your brains. This plot did not exist, it was all a dream of Cummings and you were made of morons, if you took this half hour seriously.
Part 3: let's get back to the movie now, and this is the most absurd part (if you thought you've seen too much bullshit, the worst comes now). This third part starts at 60 minutes of film and goes through the final 86 minutes. Cummings wakes up (yes, remember, half an hour ago, he lay down, took a nap, had a psychotic Cuban dream, and the viewers lost half an hour of your life), and calls your navy psychiatrist after all, he's absolutely not understanding what's going on with him (natural, considering this is a totally stupid movie). Jack Holt, his psychiatrist, explains to Cummings that he is a war psycho, so this demented behavior is natural. So, they go for some booze in a bar (don't ask me why these two imbeciles went for a drink in a bar, this is not revealed), and we find out that Holt is friends with Cochran and Lorre (don't ask me since when, or the relationship level, or because Holt knows the two mobsters, these things are not revealed). Then Cummings remembers that he has to take Morgan and go to Cuba (he finally remembered that ''little detail''), and goes to her. Cochran and Lorre find out from Don Wilson (didn't I say we'd get back to him?), that Cummings bought two tickets to Havana (don't ask me how Wilson knew Cummings was a Cochran driver, this is not revealed). Cummings and Morgan go to a ship, Cristobal (don't ask me why they took this ship, this is not revealed). Cochran finds out they took the Cristobal ship, but don't ask me how Cochran found out that his wife and her lover took the Cristobal ship, this is not revealed, and this time Cochran himself tells Lorre not to ask him how he knows Cummings and Morgan will take the ship Cristobal, as he doesn't even know why he knows this! I'm serious, if you doubt this ''amazing philosophical scene'', watch it if you dare. OK, we've come to the end, and I'll just mention one of Cochran's fun toys: he has the car accelerator pedal on the floor of the back seat of the car, and controls the car's speed himself, independent of the driver (don't ask me because he has this accessory in the car, let's say it is perhaps typical of every mobster's eccentricity, but the reason for this is not revealed). Peter Lorre is at the wheel, and Cochran is at the accelerator, and they go at an incredible speed, get hit by a train, and finally charred to death. Next, we see Cummings with a newspaper in hand, before the Cristobal ship leaves, telling Morgan that they don't need to worry about Cochran anymore (after all, he's finally dead). Don't ask me how Cummings got a newspaper with a story covering an accident that happened probably less than 30 minutes ago, this miracle of the fast press in 1946 is not revealed. And finally, in the last scene again we have Cummings kissing Morgan in a cart, and the same coachman, Garralaga, who said the horses were tired, is driving the cart, but this time, at least he doesn't say the horses are tired.
I hope I've clarified the main points of this ''fantastic'' work which has absolutely nothing of noir, it's just a romantic drama with half an hour of disconnected scenes from a hallucinogenic dream. Next time, better choose the movies you are going to watch, and don't waste your time anymore!