Wendell Corey is perfectly cast as the personality absent loan shark clerk who botches a robbery that ends up with police officer Joseph Cotten accidentally killing his wife. On his way to prison, Corey looks Cotten's wife (Rhonda Fleming) right in the eye and promises he will venge his own wife's death. Three years go by and Corey in prison is made a trustee, thus engineering his escape. The bodies pile up as Cotten learns that Corey has vowed to kill Fleming (an eye for an eye) and tries to prevent his frustrated spouse from becoming Corey's next victim.Going down the territory of some earlier crime dramas and film noirs (there is a difference), this bottom of the bill feature is a gritty and non-pretentious view of the desperate hours after Corey's goals are revealed. There doesn't seem to be any way out but a predictable conclusion, but that really doesn't matter. As in the similar "B" sleeper "The Night Holds Terror", this film takes some interesting twists and turns, provides some real chills as potential victims of Corey's insanity show genuine fear. Having been beyond miscast as the romantic lead in such films as "The File on Thelma Jordan", "The Furies" and "Harriet Craig", the usually bland Corey shows more dimension here as a psychopathic nut job than in those dramatic potboilers which paired him opposite Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Crawford. A svelte Alan Hale Jr. ("Gilligan's Island") and a young John Beradino ("General Hospital's" long-time patriarch, Dr. Steve Hardy) are instantly recognizable as Cotten's co-workers.This is a must for lovers of gritty crime drama and rises above what could easily have been an hour long episode of a 50's TV cop show.

(5.5 out of 10!) Fairly forgettable for the most part, but still sort of interesting as an artifact of a 1950s B movie thriller/police procedural. The problems: Joseph Cotten (whom I often like) isn't particularly good here, looking rather tired and perhaps a little disengaged; the character of his wife, played by Rhonda Fleming, is considerably shrill and annoying, to the point of being very nearly unsympathetic; the story itself is considerably simple; and the climax is rather weak and too abrupt. Still, Wendell Corey is quite convincing as psychopath Leon "Foggy" Poole, and it's fun to see some of the settings, styles, and conventions of mid-50s Los Angeles. (Future Gilligan's Island resident Alan Hale Jr. is also on hand.) Budd Boetticher's direction may be closer to very competent than anything else, but it's not bad by any means. Overall, nothing like a must-see, but this may still add some B movie color (not literally, it's black and white) to your classic film viewing.

I watched this film purely because the plot sounded interesting; but unfortunately, it wasn't justified with an involving film and the result is a thriller that has little to recommend it for. The plot is rather simple and stays pretty streamlined for the duration. A robber's wife is accidentally killed by a cop; and on the way to jail, the robber promises the cop that he will 'settle the score' for killing his wife. Two and a half years down the line, the robber has become a model prisoner and is moved to a minimum security prison; where he escapes and goes on the run, with the cop's wife in his sights. The most remarkable thing about this film is the lead performance from Wendell Corey. He provides a different kind of villain to what most people will be used to seeing; he's calm, cool and collected and clearly only intending to kill the cop's wife because he wants revenge, not because he's a deranged psycho. The film lacks atmosphere and it's far too talky as well, which bring it down and takes the edge off it; leaving the film feeling rather boring. Joseph Cotten never really gets involved with character either, and this performance doesn't ever allow him to flex his acting muscle. At seventy minutes, the film is rather short and I guess it didn't cost much to make either. I don't recommend anyone goes out of their way to see this.

Killer is Loose, The (1956) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Budd Boetticher directed this highly intense police drama, which certainly deserves to be better known than it is. In the film, a bank robber (Wendell Corey) gets away from the scene of the crime but a detective (Joseph Cotten) tracks him down to his apartment. When the detective breaks the door in he accidentally kills the man's wife (Rhonda Fleming). The robber is eventually sent to prison but he escapes and plans his revenge by killing the detective's wife. There are plenty of twists and turns in this little gem that contains a huge amount of suspense and some terrific direction by Boetticher. This was the first film I've seen from the director but I'll certainly be seeking more out. Cotton is very good in his role as is Fleming but the film belongs to Corey as the deranged psychopath. He gives a wonderfully creepy performance and really adds a lot to the film. The start of the film in the apartment is wonderfully done but it's the ending that really packs a terrific punch. Hopefully this thing will hit DVD at some point.