Knew we'd seen this before - only it was under the title Lady of Deceit - the former review hits the film's main problem - that Laurence Tierney has neither the charisma nor the looks (he weirdly looks better in profile) to carry off the part of a man who has women falling at his feet. Not only that but Eve Greene and Richard Macauley's screenplay (from James Gunn's only novel 'Deadlier Than the Male') doesn't give the psycho the slightest hint of any niceness or charm or any interesting qualities so it's a bit hard to buy.
This huge flaw aside, the film is well-acted and made and we enjoyed it more than before. Good performances, especially from Esther Howard as the sad lady who had nothing in her life but beer until Isabel Jewell befriends her. Walter Slezak, Elisha Cook, Audrey Long all good. Phillip Terry has a hilariously stilted way of walking - not a good sign in a screen actor.
Contains the archetypal noir line "I've got a dame on my mind - and she's dead. That's plenty for me."
Many others like "Has it occurred to you - neither of us looks like a scoundrel".
Shot by Robert de Grasse. RKO.
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