Steven Geray, a familiar bit player in many Columbia noirs, gets a rare leading role in this clever and surprising B-film. Geray plays Henri Cassin, an overworked Parisian detective encouraged to take a restorative vacation in the country. When the innkeeper’s daughter turns up dead, Cassin finds himself back on the job, hunting the culprit. Inventively directed by young Joe Lewis, who’d soon make his mark in movie history with a pair of classic noirs, Gun Crazy (1950) and The Big Combo (1955). Lewis magically conjures French rural life in the hills of Culver City, California. Featuring the camera wizardry of the great Burnett Guffey (In a Lonely Place, Bonnie and Clyde).

Presented in 35mm courtesy of Sony Pictures.