The escape of Bubber Reeves from prison affects the inhabitants of a small Southern town.
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Reviews
CinemaSerf
6
By CinemaSerf
As jobbing B-feature actors go, Robert Cummings was one of the more reliable. Good looking - at times capable of being mean, moody and/or magnificent, he always turned in an ok performance, and with this rather far fetched caper he tries his best. He ("Chuck Scott") is recruited as a chauffeur for mob boss "Roman" (Steve Cochran) but falls for his unhappy trophy wife Michèle Morgan (Lorna). Before we know it, they have escaped on a boat to Cuba en route to South America. "Roman" and sidekick "Gino" (Peter Lorre) are having one of this defiance and the couple's plans get no further than Havana before "Scott" finds himself home, with his army pal "Davidson" (Jack Holt) and the whole thing looks like it could have just been a dream - and one that isn't over yet...! It starts off pretty much full on, with an interesting example of back-seat driving, sags a little in the overly slushy middle then builds quite effectively before a rather stupid conclusion that I found really quite disappointing. The psychological elements of Cornell Woolrich's original book lay a decent foundation for a solid and quite effective thriller at times, and there are some quite innovative visual effects to help fuel the sense of confusion, it's just a shame that the dreary dialogue and lacklustre supporting efforts - even Lorre - never quite let it run. Pity, intriguing idea.
