Maltin's film guide had already warned everyone about its "major flaw: the Dragnet-style narration", which is really awful - why did they do that? The film would have worked just as well without it - better. And similarly - jettison the "two hours earlier" stuff and just show the build up and execution of the (admittedly brilliant) robbery in chronological order.
Another carp - we see the horses at the start gate footage too many times. Was interested to see though a poster for a 'Burlesque' show in which Lenny Bruce was billed!
From the novel 'Clean Break' by Lionel White, adapted by Kubrick with dialogue by Jim Thompson, does emerge an exciting and downbeat tale with a surprisingly high murder and bloodshed rating - memorable moment where Cook fights back but realises all his accomplices have been killed. Windsor is a terrific femme fatale who causes everything to fall apart, and the ending at the airport is brilliant. She is just so horrible - film noir's most poisonous wife.
A colourful gallery of characters is populated by: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards (Windsor's boyfriend), Jay C. Flippen, Ted de Corsia, Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook, Joe Sawyer, Timothy Carey (the hired horse shooter), James Edwards (parking guy, The Manchurian Candidate, Coogan's Bluff), Kola Kwariani (wrestler).
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