Neither a trampy wife or a press hungry Broadway producer can fool with beaten prize fighter John Payne. He's struggling to make ends meet to keep the social climbing wife happy, driving a cab and trying to save money in order to buy a gas station. But it isn't bad enough that his wife nags him to try and make something better of himself, it's watching the fight that destroyed his career on T.V. as well. Nothing can please this bleached blonde harpy (Peggie Castle) who, as it turns out, has been stepping out on him with a jewel thief (Brad Dexter) who wants to sell off his goods so they can get out of the country. Once Payne spots the two together, he is angry enough to kill, and she is terrified. But when things go awry with the fence who refuses to buy the goods, someone is about to get knocked off, and it is Payne who must clear himself of that murder.Not only does Payne have his lascivious wife and her ruthless lover to deal with (not to mention the fence), a struggling actress (Evelyn Keyes) utilizes him in a scheme which gets him more into trouble. But in spite of what she did, Keyes is an o.k. broad, and she finds herself tossed in to helping him clear his name. The race is set and the film noir is off and running. Payne is as brooding an anti-hero as you can find, definitely beaten up by life, and definitely the victim of not only one dame, but two. That makes for film noir at its finest, and in this one, the waterfront streets of New York are utilized in helping the storyline move into a dark and lonely place you can only hope the hero will be able to get himself out of.Well written and acted, excellently photographed, and gripping, this is a sleeper of the mid noir years that is in many ways just as tense as some of the first great films of that genre. Everything is in place to get you hooked, and the twists and turns are as difficult to find your way out of as a quick exit out of Alphabet City. Keyes gets to shine as the promising actress who utilizes her talents to aide Payne, especially in trying to get close to the film's villain. When she puts on her easy broad facade, it's like watching a different character than the nice lady who approached Payne just hours before to pay off her car fare. Finding a rare gem like this is like finding a brand new friend, and in this case, you may find yourself wanting to add it to your film noir collection.

This is a great movie with Payne. I have seen him in a couple others that were lousy but this one is great.Basically his cheating wife causes him to get framed for her murder and involved with a tough jewel thief and a fencer who has a gang of thugs.He plays a lovable but tough boxer---perfect for the role who is down and out thanks to an eye injury.I always wonder in these movies why if you are being chased by all the cops in Manhattan you don't at least remove your cab drivers cap or try to disguise yourself in some way. I suppose it makes it easier to follow things.What I have noticed watching these movies and reading between the lines is the type audience they were aimed at. Someone who had gone to high school "had an educaction" and the highest aim in life of the main characters was opening a gas station. Since the world has become dumbed down since 1953 this same target audience now gets a social science degree in college and a government job--the dumber ones go to film festivals instead of enjoying a good movie likes this.Good movie.RECOMMEND

A superb noir from 1953 that stars an appealing John Payne as an ex-boxer who's maybe a little bit nuts and who gets framed for the murder of his wife. The bulk of the movie consists of him trying to expose the real killer before the police nab him, and he's ably abetted by Evelyn Keyes, who brings a sense of zaniness to the film as an actress friend of Payne who walks into this most outrageous and ghoulish scenario and acts like similarly outrageous and ghoulish things happen to her every day.Director Phil Karlson, who was most known to me for directing a more famous and much grittier noir called "The Phenix City Story," guides this story along with a firm hand. The screenplay is pretty preposterous and requires its audience to suspend a great deal of disbelief. But that's part of its fun and charm, and the fact that the film has a really good sense of humor about itself helps tremendously.This is one noir I had never heard of but am no immensely glad I've seen.Grade: A

John Payne plays a bitter cab driver saddled with a cheating wife who wants the moon and the stars and everything that goes with it. Something she realizes will never come married to this broken down hack. Such is the singular event that starts in motion a series of events, some coincidental, some planned and all of them unexpected. And unlike some lesser entries into the film noir black and white movies of the day, this has some totally logical and totally unexpected twists along the way. Peggie Castle was never sexier than this film, Evelyn Keyes was never more reserved-- until you get about the three quarters mark, and then she does one of the most erotic things I've ever seen in any film from 1953 or anywhere in the '50's. The fight scenes are gritty and realistic and the dialog is understated and not hysterical. And the pacing is big screen professional. I highly recommend this film to anyone looking for some serious fun.