Plots(1)

This fast-paced thriller tracing Jarrett's violent life in and out of jail is also a harrowing character study. Jarrett is a psychological time bomb ruled by impulse. He murders a wounded accomplice and revels in the act. He neglects his sultry wife (Virginia Mayo) and adores his doting mother. (official distributor synopsis)

Reviews (2)

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kaylin 

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English James Cagney once again portrays one of his villains, except this time he's a true psychopath with depth. And, of course, Cagney managed to portray the character absolutely perfectly. At first, it looks like he won't be particularly remarkable, but that's just his clothing that gives you that impression. Then he completely takes over the film. A brilliant symphony of a great actor with excellent direction that keeps the viewer breathless. ()

lamps 

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English A cruelly masculine noir that in its day dominated action crime movies the same way Heat would do almost fifty years later. With an amazing pace, uncompromising editing and a script whose quality and plot creativity becomes all the more breathtaking the higher the number of derivative and dodgy gangster flicks you’ve seen. Cagney is great, but the others second him ably – the infiltrated cop even so ably that you end up rooting for him, even though the star is supposed to be Cagney's cold-blooded and loud-mouthed psycho. But that’s only a small weakness of an otherwise flawless genre movie. 90% ()