A charming racketeer seduces the DA's stepdaughter for revenge, then falls in love.
Acting
Van Heflin's drunk philosopher steals every scene he's in.
Cinematography
Shadows so thick you could trip over them.
Writing
Dialogue that crackles like burning celluloid.

Director
Mervyn LeRoy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lana Turner's character was originally written as a hardened dame; she insisted on playing innocent, which makes the corruption hit harder.
Released right before Pearl Harbor, this was the last gasp of Depression-era cynicism before patriotic uplift took over Hollywood.