david-546 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'

utgard14 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.

gamay9 This is a very good film noir but TCM airs it so often that it is becoming a nuisance to me. Same goes for 'Shop Around The Corner' which is set in Budapest but most of the cast speaks an American version of English, especially Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart, neither of which could ever employ a foreign accent nor act their way out of a paper bag.William Wyler was married to Margaret Sullivan before Margaret Tallichet. He has the same preferences as myself; endeared to wholesome, but good looking actresses. Sullivan and Tallichet do not resemble each other but they both look like the 'girl next store.' As 'actresses,' they didn't have stunning careers and one can see why. Tallichet's career was cut short, but her marriage to Wyler was long.My review is not as much about the film as it is Ms. Tallichet. It may be the script she was given (certainly not her acting) but I couldn't take my eyes off her because she is so cute.The screenplay is good, especially the dream scene. Peter Lorre just goes through the motions, while Elijah Cook, Jr. is excellent as he is in all of the 'thousands' of films in which he had character roles. Did he ever play a leading man? I wouldn't place this film in my top 1,000 but it is interesting as a one-time view. I think TCM should be more diversified. They should air 'Montenegro' which is #1 on my list of best movies, all time.

uziiman I loved this movies based on the character of Peter Lorre. Peter Lorre was such a creep and George Lucas used the same character to make a villain in Raiders of the Lost Ark. So this journalist is a key witness to a murder a trial and he is not quite sure of what he saw and explains this to the jury. There isn't much evidence to pin the murder on the suspect, but the journalist's testimony seals the suspect's fate. Having confidence in the Justice System, the journalist thinks nothing of it. In a nightmare he understands that the system may have failed and that his shotty testimony may have landed this kid in jail for a murder he did not commit. After having this dream, he notices a strange quiet in his usually noisy neighbor's apartment. When he goes to investigate the strange phenomena he notices a strange figure lurking around. After reporting the murder of his neighbor, he falls under suspect for having committed it. Past exclamations claiming that he was going to kill his neighbor over his neighbor's annoying habits puts the journalist in the spotlight and in the same position as the kid he testified against earlier. The journalist's fiancé investigates on his behalf and finds a man who fit the journalist's description of the lurking figure. Turns out that a psychotic patient was killing people indiscriminately and confusing the police with seemingly unconnected murders. The psychotic patient eventually confesses and the journalist is free to go.