This movie is much too long for its simple, pithy point, and would have done much better as an episode of a TV show like Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It’s a long, sordid drama that revisits the same ground until it’s blue in the face before finally delivering what a mounts to a recognizable noir cautionary morality tale. Initially the overlong repetition works in the film’s favor by increasing tension, but eventually the prospect of tragedy looks enticing as long as it results in forward narrative motion. Still, the performances are palpable and the plot is mechanically sound.

Closest comparison: It’s like an extended episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Setting: Noir
Plot: Crime
Tone: Thriller