Magazine editor Ray Milland has his non-stop working life pressed even further after he spends a drunken night partying with a gorgeous blonde; she's the mistress of publication czar Charles Laughton, Milland's boss--but when she winds up dead after a spat with her lover, somebody's gotta take the fall! Kenneth Fearing's novel (reworked in 1987 as "No Way Out") becomes cracking good thriller, full of eccentric characters, outré bits of business, acerbic humor, and a top cast doing first-rate work. The plot contrivance of getting devoted family man Milland involved with Rita Johnson can possibly be overlooked, as can Ray's staff at the crime magazine (who come up with clues and leads faster than Sherlock Holmes). Framing the story in flashback doesn't hurt, but one does get impatient with some of the implausibilities taken. Still, there's enough action in the picture to keep things tense, and enough funny, throwaway jabs to keep it enjoyable. **1/2 from ****
Review of The Big Clock
