A depressingly bleak film that's tough to sit through. Doesn't seem to amount to much past a hackneyed "crime doesn't pay" message. I don't think the movie's "classic film noir" status is very warranted. The crime that everybody's suffering for is so petty and uninteresting (and the fact that they go on suffering nonetheless is not examined in any meaningful way).
Other weak points include the incredibly inappropriate cheery music swell that accompanies the final scene, and then the sudden, anticlimactic ending. Also poorly-done and confusing was the fact that thin, bald-pated, bespectacled Bauer has a co-worker that looks almost completely identical to him (to no apparent intentional effect).
The few strong points include some pretty jaw-dropping location cinematography (unfortunately occupying very little screen time -- mostly we're on grey, unremarkable indoor sets) and some positive vibrations from the Doris Lowry character as portrayed by Beatrice Pearson.
Other weak points include the incredibly inappropriate cheery music swell that accompanies the final scene, and then the sudden, anticlimactic ending. Also poorly-done and confusing was the fact that thin, bald-pated, bespectacled Bauer has a co-worker that looks almost completely identical to him (to no apparent intentional effect).
The few strong points include some pretty jaw-dropping location cinematography (unfortunately occupying very little screen time -- mostly we're on grey, unremarkable indoor sets) and some positive vibrations from the Doris Lowry character as portrayed by Beatrice Pearson.