A 72-minute fever dream where junkies, corrupt officials, and a freight ship collide in noir chaos.
After WW2, a Los Angeles crime ring uses a complex scheme, involving a freight ship, a junkie, and a corrupt health officer, to smuggle drugs into the USA.
Direction
William J. Hole Jr. wrings maximum dread from minimal budget.
Cinematography
Shadow-drenched LA locations that breathe authentic noir grime.
Acting
Stuart Whitman's twitchy junkie performance steals every scene.
Director
William J. Hole Jr.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Stuart Whitman filmed this between his breakthrough TV roles and before his Oscar nomination for The Mark, making his raw junkie performance a fascinating career footnote.
Released during the 1957 Senate subcommittee hearings on juvenile delinquency and comic books, this film's unflinching drug depiction slipped through while bigger targets got blamed.
US
