Jack Early is a photographer who will stop at nothing to climb his way to the very top of the success ladder. On the strength of his sheer tenacity, he gets a job with a major newspaper, and it's not long before he's made a name for himself by charming a notorious crime boss, Nick Palmer, into allowing himself to be photographed. Palmer takes him under his wing, but Early decides to bite the hand that feeds him and sets Palmer and another crime boss, Colton, against one another.
Cinematography
San Francisco locations shot like a predator stalking prey.
Acting
Howard Duff's smarm could oil a fleet of cars.
Direction
Pevney squeezes 80 minutes into pure venom.
Director
Joseph Pevney
Howard Duff
Jack Early
Brian Donlevy
Nick Palmer
Peggy Dow
Ellen Bennett
Lawrence Tierney
Harry Colton
Bruce Bennett
David Glover
Anne Vernon
Nita Palmer
Jack Reitzen
Joe Downing
Peter Virgo
Roy
Charles Sherlock
Sam
Peggie Castle
Coat-Check Girl at Bay View Club (uncredited)
Jack Chefe
Shop Proprietor (uncredited)
Chester Conklin
Chet (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lawrence Tierney plays Colton — the same year he starred as the lead in 'Dillinger,' making this a gangster all-star reunion nobody asked for.
Released at the exact moment television began killing the B-picture, this is Universal squeezing every last drop of noir before the medium changed forever.
US
