• Actor/director’s second effort as director after the first-person POV Lady in the Lake from 1946 year the before. He keeps the long takes but does away with the POV subjective camera
  • Russell Metty is the director of photography. He’d work on Touch of Evil and, with Welles, capture one of cinema’s greatest single shots 11 years later (1958). This work here has some nice long languid takes including the dialogue-less opening of Montgomery guardedly pacing into and through the bus station
  • Ben Hecht (Notorious) wrote the screenplay—one of the finest – gives the dialogue some punch
  • The southwest setting, the fiesta- absolutely a great character in the film

    The southwest setting, the fiesta- absolutely a great character in the film

  • Montgomery is a better director than actor sadly. His hard-boiled disillusioned army vet “I’ve seen enough flags” here doesn’t quite do it—the film is demonstrably better with Bogart or Mitchum
  • A highlight is the shot along the parade—tracking from the table at the restaurant to the dance floor
  • Thomas Gomez is another highlight- he is best known for 1948’s Key Largo – but in support here he was nominated – making it the first time a Latin actor received an Oscar nomination—I don’t think it hurts Gomez that he’s acting next to Montgomery (who I said above- isn’t amazing) – blowing him off screen
  • Recommend but doesn’t quite crack the top 10 of 1947