It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Steve--dane clark Virginia--Cathy O'donnell masher off dutycop shows police work odd--everyone seemed to know dead cop was a lecher she's a bad liarSteve (Dane Clark) is a gambler on the run from the cops. He's apparently been accused of murder and he has decided to visit his estranged wife, Virginia (Cathy O'Donnell). She believes that he's an innocent and reformed man, so she agrees to let him stay with her for a few days.Out of the blue, a perverted lech of a cop sees Virginia and decides to follow her home. There, he refuses to take no for an answer and he's about to rape her when Steve comes out of hiding and beats the cop up...killing him in the process. It's a clear case of justifiable homicide....but Steve isn't about to call the police and report this. Instead, he dumps the body and they hope it all blows over...or will it?This is a very good film, though it is relatively low-budgeted and with second and third-tier actors. In spite of this, the writing is very believable and well done. I especially love where the story went towards the end...it really made the film.

Gambler-fugitive seeks refuge with ex-wife, even as police close in.Except for the cleverly staged finale—a giant crane on the LA loading docks—it's a pretty pedestrian crime story. Despite the poor ratings from the professionals, I tuned in because of the cast. Clark makes an excellent tough-guy-with-soul as in Deep Valley (1947) and Moonrise (1948), while O'Donnell is enough to make a grown man cry in the transcendent They Live by Night (1948). What this film crucially lacks, however, is mood. It's filmed in straightforward unimaginative style, much like a TV episode. As a result, there's no complementary atmosphere to frame the twosome's particular talents, thereby largely wasting them. Too bad, because the film would likely do just as well with any number of lesser talents in the leads.It doesn't help that the screenplay is unexceptional with few surprises, except maybe for the randy cop (Williams). Still, you wonder how such a crude guy could possibly stay on the force, let alone as a sergeant. It's also a cheaply produced programmer with two or three basic sets. At least, Columbia knew something more was needed, hence the scenic finale. All in all, the movie's a routine programmer, at best.

"Never Trust a Gambler" is a quick-moving, breezy little b-thriller with just the right amounts of action, suspense, and romance to waste, most agreeably, eighty minutes of your time. Psychopathic ex-hubby (Dane Clark) crashes ex-wife's (Cathy O'Donnell) quiet life to hole up in her home. He has a line, and she falls for it. Enter nasty skirt-chaser, add "a fight, a car crash, and a fire" (to misquote a line of dialogue) and pretty soon they're up to their eyeballs in trouble. Enter, too, a cute young cop (Tom Drake) who falls head-over-heels for the girl. Some of the story is handled with b-movie dispatch, but there is also enough characterization to keep the characters interesting, and the love story is both tender and realistic. Good cast, good photography, a fair bit of on-location shooting and an exciting climax high on a construction crane in a shipyard.

What a wonderful little crime programmer from Columbia Pictures I just discovered. And a very rare one too. Ralph Murphy did not made many thrillers but mainly westerns, corny films indeed. This one is surprising by his pace, characters and story. A real film noir, even grade B. Dane Clark plays here a poor fellow chased by the police in a witness murder charge. He is a former gambler and goes to his ex wife's apartment to hide from the police. But the gal is molested by a man who is accidentally killed by our lead. So, Clark tries to disguise the murder in car accident.So, the investigation begins, with a detective who falls for the gambler's wife...The climax on the waterfront is excellent.