Social worker Marsha Hunt and gangster’s moll Claire Trevor duke it out for the soul of homme fatal Dennis O’Keefe in this rambunctious display of quintessential noir pulp. O’Keefe busts out of the slammer determined to get even with shyster gang-boss Raymond Burr, who wants O’Keefe dead before he reaches his San Francisco hideout. Anthony Mann made his bones with the gritty, documentary-style T-Men the year before, but here, he flips the script and treats fans to a surreal fantasia of violence and vengeance. Everything in the film is slightly off-kilter, from the Theremin-infused score to the nervy, dejected narration by Trevor. Stunning images by legendary cinematographer John Alton make this arguably the most visually stylish noir of them all. As Eddie likes to say, it’s “Pure Pulp for Noir People.”