A strong, neat little private eye entry. The writing and plotting are very competent. The steady direction helps sort it all out. Kent Taylor makes a watchable sleuth in the Bogart, Dick Powell, Mitchum mold, if without the star charisma. The bodies pile up, and the mystery is credible. The convoluted plot will keep the viewer interested until the very end. The cast is solid, with many reliable character actors of the time doing very accomplished work. A real sleeper for the 40s detective genre lover. Better than many more famous noir titles of the era. Catch it when you can. I'd like to see this released in the 20th Century Noir Classic series. It's up to that standard.

This minor private eye movie has more than a hint of THE GLASS KEY in Taylor's abduction and beating. We get the P.I. meeting the pay roll by doing a surveillance job that ends in a murder - swim suit models, a missing key and a hovering Asian minder.The second string cast meet the need with Dowling surprisingly glamorous.The small budget doesn't get in the way of a B movie slickness.