In the first five minutes, Raven (Alan Ladd's debut) has killed his target and his innocent 'secretary' (though spared the life of a disabled girl - who Q charmingly describes as wearing 'leg brackets' - and protected a cat).
In Albert Maltz and W.R. Burnett (Scarface, High Sierra, The Asphalt Jungle) screenplay from Graham Greene's 1936 novel 'A Gun For Sale', we learn why he's a killer (abused as a child) and he tries to do the right thing for singing magician (!) Veronica Lake, though doesn't let her close. (There's a singer in Le Samourai too.)
Laird Cregar delivers another of his delicious performances as a cowardly night club owner, but the real bad guy is old man Tully Marshall (who died a year later). Robert Preston is the dull cop, Marc Lawrence the bad guy sidekick.
I kept thinking the Veronica Lake character sure looks like a Will Eisner Spirit heroine, and no doubt he and Hollywood influenced one another (or did it all flow in the direction of Hollywood to Eisner - I'd like to think not).
Film is quite tough, very inventive (the way Raven gets out of the hotel, for example, and the gas mask) and beautifully photographed by John Seitz with some fabulous deep focus. Paramount.
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| Stunning deep focus shot |
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