Directed by Douglas Sirk • 1949 • United States
Starring Cornel Wilde, Patricia Knight, John Baragrey

Scripted by Samuel Fuller and directed in striking noir style by Douglas Sirk, this whiz-bang thriller traces the doomed love triangle that ensnares a just-out-of-prison killer (Patricia Knight), the well-meaning parole officer who makes the mistake of falling for her (Cornel Wilde), and her shady gambler boyfriend (John Baragrey). The combination of Fuller’s pulpy sensationalism and Sirk’s lush mise-en-scène yields fast-and-furious melodrama that packs a hard-boiled punch.