To mark 100 years of legendary Hollywood Studio, Columbia Pictures, Sony have reissued some of their classic collection including this masterful film noir from Fritz Lang, starring Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame. Ford plays straight cop Bannion, fed up with the gangsters hold on the town and police in their pay. Despite brutal and violent warnings to ease off his investigation, he perseveres, getting embroiled in the seedy underworld of Vince Stone (a surly Lee Marvin) and boss Lagana. Adapted from a serial then novel by William McGivern, Lang maintains tension throughout, unafraid to show the tragic results of Bannion’s pursuit of justice. Grahame is memorable, her performance veering from playful to vengeful, making plain too the society’s misogyny. Chosen as an example of film noir for the Library of Congress Collection, despite its atmosphere of unease it’s a gripping thriller and fine example of noir.

Notes by Alicia McGivern