One Way Street

It's hard to pinpoint the genre of this film: it clearly starts out as a up-tempo crime drama suggesting noir, but then it starts to drag a little as a Western (a la Mexico) redemption arc. Then it starts to ramp up to a crazy finale, although the final scene is pretty silly (thanks, Hays Code). Duryea always makes a good villain; it might have been more exciting in the middle if he had been (personally) chasing the couple throughout. As a fan of noirs, I liked it, but it's not for everyone.

Although it’s pleasant to watch, most of the film doesn’t manage to keep up to the expectations set by the exciting first scenes. The Mexico part should’ve been better integrated into the story.

James Mason and the Fatman in a solid thriller-ish experience which had a lot of flavors but struggled to find its own identity. For the most part a positive view, that only lacked a key moment to elevate it.

Don't let that screenshot fool you, this is a James Mason film all the way. He's not an actor who does anything special for me, but he always does a good job and the same is true here. Even if the film never manages to truly make me feel his inner conflict it does make understand it and root for a positive resolution. It's a nice little film about redemption with some unexpected beats and I the ending is quite appropriate.

It starts off with a whirlwind of exciting, twist-filled action and climaxes with a classic noir ending. The languid pace of the middle section in Mexico may turn some viewers off, but I found it gave the characters room to breathe and grow, and lent the film a lot of flavor. There's a wonderful unpredictability to the story, and even when little is happening plotwise, an air of tension hangs over the picture. The balance of grim fatalism and lush romanticism struck just the right chord with me.