Pluskylang Great Film overall

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

LeonLouisRicci One of Only a Fistfull of Pure Film-Noir from the 1950's. It is a Hard-Hitting, Exceptionally Photographed, and Well-Acted, for the most part, Entry in the Genre that has more than One Riveting, Unforgettable Scenes.This is the Story of an Ex-Boxer, not so Humbly accepting his Fall and Lot in Life as a Cab Driver, that gets Hit with a Cheating Wife, Framed for Murder, and Encounters some Low-Life Brutes. His Prowess as an Ex-Pug (as His Condescending Wife calls Him) comes in Handy.There is some Stunning Noir Lighting and Angles but it is the Brutality and some Sexuality that Highlight this Solid and Highly Entertaining Movie. There is some Overacting by Evelyn Keyes, but John Payne, Brad Dexter, and some Sharp Support from Secondary Characters Ring the Bell.Somewhat Overlooked and Overshadowed by Director Phil Karlson's Kansas City Confidential (1952). But this is a much more Satisfying Noir and Overall a Better Example of a Tough and Tense Style that is more than Recommended, it is Essential Viewing.

dougdoepke Poor Ernie. He takes a beating in the boxing ring, and then even a bigger one from two heartless women. You can just feel his smoldering emotion about to explode like a hand grenade on that theatre stage. All those theatre types rushing around patting themselves on the back, while he stands there, the disbelieving dupe. As the luckless boxer turned cabbie turned fall guy, Payne's great. The anguish all over his cracked face. So how's he going to get back his self-respect when he keeps getting the short end of the stick. Now he's up for a murder rap unless he can track down the slippery Rawlins (Dexter), which doesn't get any easier especially after the cagey slickster puts a bullet hole in him. Rarely have I seen a movie where the lead takes such a beating.But what can he expect when he's got that silken tramp Peggie Castle (Pauline) for a wife. Who could trust her around any man. Too bad actress Castle died so young; she was so good in these heartless roles. Then there's Eveline Keyes as Linda who can't seem to decide which side of the fence she's on. At least as an actress Keyes could give a graduate course in how to over-act, judging from the movie's first half. This is a typical Phil Karlson film—you can feel the characters' pain even if it is up there on the movie screen. At times, Karlson's close-ups are a stunning portrait of agony. It's noir, for sure, even if the focus is more on character than shadowy atmosphere, though there's still a lot of the latter. At times the plot gets a little confusing, but that's okay since Ernie's supposed to be up against dark forces he can barely distinguish. Anyway, it's first-rate thick- ear, showing why Karlson's considered a master of crime drama that makes us not just see but feel as well.

Keith Kjornes John Payne plays a bitter cab driver saddled with a cheating wife who wants the moon and the stars and everything that goes with it. Something she realizes will never come married to this broken down hack. Such is the singular event that starts in motion a series of events, some coincidental, some planned and all of them unexpected. And unlike some lesser entries into the film noir black and white movies of the day, this has some totally logical and totally unexpected twists along the way. Peggie Castle was never sexier than this film, Evelyn Keyes was never more reserved-- until you get about the three quarters mark, and then she does one of the most erotic things I've ever seen in any film from 1953 or anywhere in the '50's. The fight scenes are gritty and realistic and the dialog is understated and not hysterical. And the pacing is big screen professional. I highly recommend this film to anyone looking for some serious fun.

rpvanderlinden Wow! Here's a nifty little noir that doesn't pull its punches. Frank, nasty and brutal, it's the story of an ex-boxer with a bad temper who's still boiling over the defeat that ended his career four years earlier. Now he's driving cab and dreaming of better times ahead when he finds out his wife is fooling around on him. He does another dishy dame a favour only to be played for a sucker. And it's still early in the evening. By the middle of the night he's mixed up with murder and a nest of scumbags. I've had bad days - and nights - but nothing like this.This movie has energy to spare, and conviction, and characters who get under your skin one way or another. The hero, Ernie (John Payne), is a seething cauldron, and that's okay because he's up for a good fight, not so okay for his wife (Peggie Castle) who wants out. You'd want him on your side, though - even if he's down for the count he'll always get up to fight another round. The dish (Evelyn Keyes) turns out to have what it takes, and her acting and seducing skills make for a dynamite scene near the end. For once the writers know what to do with a back story, with the boxing theme skillfully played throughout the movie and orchestrated into a white-knuckle climax and satisfying conclusion. As for Keyes and that scene - the movie could have been called "Cashmere Becomes Her" - it's hot, hot, hot! When she lights her cigarette from sleazoid Brad Dexter's smoldering fag tip, the tendrils of smoke caressing both their faces, I had to pinch myself to see if I was having a wet dream. Sex and violence are the key ingredients here - and cinematic exuberance. You couldn't ask for more. Just have your Nicorettes handy.