Two close friends' plan to execute a flawless crime is crushed when one of them inadvertently leaves his glasses at the crime scene.
Acting
Dean Stockwell's chilling smirk could freeze mercury
Direction
Fleischer makes arrogance visually repulsive, impressive feat
Writing
Nietzsche name-dropping that actually serves the plot
Director
Richard Fleischer
Dean Stockwell
Judd Steiner
Bradford Dillman
Arthur A. Straus
Orson Welles
Jonathan Wilk
E.G. Marshall
District Attorney Harold Horn
Diane Varsi
Ruth Evans
Martin Milner
Sid Brooks
Richard Anderson
Max Steiner
Robert F. Simon
Police Lt. Johnson
Robert Burton
Charles Straus
Wilton Graff
Mr. Steiner
Louise Lorimer
Mrs. Straus aka 'Mumsy'
Gavin MacLeod
Padua - Horn's Assistant
Edward Binns
Tom Daly
Colin Kenny
Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This fictionalized the Leopold and Loeb case, which also inspired Rope and Funny Games—Hollywood loves these smug killers.
Welles added 11 pages of monologue himself; the 10-minute single-take speech was his price for taking the role.
US
