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.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

In some ways rating this film an 8 out 10 is generous. It's a B film and throughout it feels like a B film. Outside of Peter Lorre who gets top billing even though he is only in the film for a short time the rest of the cast are unknowns who largely stayed that way. Okay Elisha Cook Jr. has a key supporting role as well and he went on to a long film career often appearing in noir films. The film was made apparently for around $175,000. The film has all the elements of noir. The wrongly accused man, voice over, paranoia, lots of heavy shadows, those low camera angles up the stairs, the Brooklyn setting but the pièce de résistance was the dream sequence that has to be seen to be believed.If any complaints the couple played by John McGuire and Margaret Tallichet were a bit cutesy and the happy ending was a bit schmaltzy. But it doesn't take away from the overall effects of the film. Peter Lorre is downright creepy as the stranger and Elisha Cook Jr. is his usual wide eyed self as a wrongly accused. McGuire did his best to channel that later B actor Tom Neal of Detour (1945). Well since McGuire came first maybe it was Tom Neal channelling McGuire. As to Tallichet who had a brief film career and went on to marry the director William Wyler (Ben Hur amongst others) well she was that lovely girl next door you always fall in love with. The rest of the cast is peppered with fine character actors especially the landlady and the pain in the neck neighbour of McGuire. The film is compact and tidy coming in at a swift 64 minutes giving it a TV film feel. Overall a nifty if jagged little film. So remember 'They put you in a shirt with long sleeves, and they pour ice water on you'

First the good: No one is better than Peter Lorre playing a maniac. Nor is anyone better than Elisha Cook, Jr. playing whatever he always plays. That covers the acting. The photography by Nicholas Musuraca was beautiful moment by moment. He photographed Cat People, The Spiral Staircase, Out of the Past and The Jack Benny Show! The dream sequences were vivid and entertaining. The direction by a director I've never heard of, Boris Ingster, directed only 2 other films - was good often times - although he couldn't get a tumble out of the very handsome and awkwardly stiff male lead, John McGuire, either because of his particular dialogue or his delivery which bordered on absurdity and as often as not delved right into it. Margaret Tallichet, however, had a beguiling look and style. Some other good qualities as well, but...But - the dialogue while amusing at times - except maybe in McGuire's dream horror at what he might have done - went nowhere; the ending was ludicrous - an MGM kind of sappy ending, all but the rainbow - the taxi driver unscathed by his almost death sentence, and the too convenient solutions. All and all - great to look at and absurd to make sense of. Not that you have to. But it is definitely film noir.

The testimony of reporter John McGuire (Mike) is key to the conviction of Elisha Cook Jr (Joe) for murder and his subsequent death penalty sentence. McGuire's girlfriend Margaret Tallichet (Jane) is uneasy with the circumstantial evidence and gets McGuire to doubt his testimony. McGuire's conscience comes into play and he also suspects that his nosey neighbour Charles Halton (Meng) could also have been murdered that night. He has stopped snoring and McGuire had previously spotted a stranger creeping around the apartment. The paranoia gets to him and he goes to check…………what do you think?.....The film has an interesting story and zips along at a good pace. Peter Lorre is suitably creepy as the elusive stranger, but I'm afraid the film is plagued by bad acting. When McGuire first appears at a café, he is really annoying and I found myself looking to other characters for someone to identify with. Well, after witnessing the always awful Elisha Cook Jr demonstrating some unconvincing histrionics in an early courtroom scene, and Margaret Tallichet just generally being so laughably bad on every occasion that she appears, I had nowhere to go. McGuire became the best in the cast. Shocking.Anyway, the film is OK – let down by the cast, so it loses points. There are some interesting shots involving Lorre and McGuire on a staircase – it's a good scene with some tension. There are also predictable moments – eg, when Tallichet goes looking for Lorre, you can tell what is going to happen. Well, I could. It's still a good sequence, though. Unfortunately, things are wrapped up quite conveniently and we get a cringeworthy happy final shot with a pipsqueak.

Reporter Michael Ward (John McGuire) gives testimony at trial that helps convict an innocent man of murder. Now Ward finds himself in a similar situation, accused of a murder he didn't commit. His girlfriend Jane (Margaret Tallichet) sets out to find a creepy stranger (Peter Lorre) seen lurking about on the night of the murder.Despite being top-billed, Peter Lorre is not in this much. But when he is in it, he's really creepy and weird in that Lorre way we all love. Also, I loved Elijah Cook as the poor sap wrongly convicted at the start of the movie. Often cited as the first film noir, this is a very cool murder mystery that effectively uses flashbacks and dream sequences. It has a lot of style for a B movie that barely runs an hour. Just goes to show you don't need 2 1/2 hours to make a good movie, something today's filmmakers should learn.