Nora Prentiss

Ah, the lengths a man will go to to avoid an emotional confrontation.

Kent Smith was not the brightest of doctors, actually casting Kent Smith as the doctor wasn't the best casting decisions, for I didn't feel he enhanced the noir experience. Rather took me out of it. Ann Sheridan was good, though. Cool idea, just could have been better executed.

The elements to be great are there, but it drags too much to make it. Smith really sells the slow transformation, and Sheridan is an equally great and crafts a compelling character. Together they make a romantic pair to root for. The cinematography is quite nice and the story is appropriately bleak and compelling. The second half lacks originality or energy and drives to the expected ending in the most mundane and long-winded way possible. Still enjoyed the good parts, but could have been more.

For the first hour or so, it's a bland melodrama about a bland affair between bland people. Then at the halfway point, the plot takes a sudden turn and I thought "Ah, now we're cooking!" But even after that, there's still a lot of sluggish melodrama. And the conclusion is too loaded with plot holes and implausibilities to ignore. But the cinematography is good, as is the score. And the film touches on some compelling themes. It just needs a little more spice and a lot of trimming.