From the moment they meet on screen Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer are locked in a death spiral of Noir-ish proportions. What begins as a femme fetch soon turns into a battle of wits, first solidified by a kiss, then in a foreboding moment their fate is sealed with one. Mitchum’s character possesses a cunning intelligence that seems fresh in such a tried genre, though ultimately any man that thinks he can outsmart a black widow woman like Greer proves he is just as dumb as the rest. Ultimately, it is Tourneur’s direction which elevates the picture to legendary status.
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