Truly Dreadful Film

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Ruth Roman is stuck starring in a rather dopey movie. The acting is generally good and the atmosphere also quite good...but the plot is just stupid.The film begins with a man being re-tried in court for murdering his wife. A holdout of the jury results in a mistrial* and he is let free. In the next scene, a New Yorker, Shelly (Roman), travels to the desert on a vacation to a dude ranch. She arrives and is told the place is closed...but they'll let her stay. The lady in charge was apparently a friend of the accused murderer and was also on the jury at his trial*. She stays for a few days and soon meets the accused killer. Some other stuff happens and soon she's in love with this man for no apparent reason...and then they get married! None of this makes any sense--- nor does what follows. In fact, the ending and the perfect way everything worked out was utterly ridiculous. My problem is that no matter whether or not the acting and direction are any good or not, the story is so full of dumb holes that I found myself just wanting the film to end.*Someone who is a friend of an accused killer would NEVER be allowed on a jury...never. This made even less sense than the other woman almost instantly falling for Richard and marrying him.

Terrible movie.McCambridge was all but chewing on the curtains. She over acted just like she did in "Giant". Richard Todd looked good as usual but deserved a better script. Why was he up on a dangerous ledge supposedly hiding from the public after he had been found not guilty? Was he planning to camp up there? He had no tent, equipment or food for his horse. He did throw down a hot cigarette butt in the dry sage though. Luckily no fire was written into the script on that. Guess he wasn't a Boy Scout. Ruth Roman was pretty good but must have needed the paycheck badly. She drives off in an approaching thunder storm in a convertible with the top down. Not too bright, huh? Vidor made sure she showed us her boobs though. She goes to find Richard Todd and does a very poor job of acting like she is afraid of heights up on the cliff. All of a sudden she is in love with him. Give me a break! Zac Scott also over acts and is wearing. How come he is riding the same horse that Ruth was on at the dude ranch. Is it the county horse? He takes Ruth for a car ride acting very menacing, so of course we suspect he may be a killer. Not! He takes Ruth to see Todd and drives off. Later Todd takes Ruth home in the same car. Sadly Ruth marries Todd after knowing him for only a few days. I expect they divorced soon after.

Overcooked Melodrama that is Quite Silly at Times and the Plot is Contrived to make things Come Together and the Result is Manufactured Suspense. The Cast is a bit Offbeat with Mercedes Cambridge Chewing the Scenery and Ruth Roman Looking Confused most of the Time. Zachary Scott shows up to make things Interesting but is mostly there to just Paw the Reluctant Lead Actress.It is Heavy Handed Stuff with Thunder Crashes and Telegraphed Terror (a spider on the bed is mistaken for an attempted murder), but it is Professionally done by the Filmmakers. The Result is Standard Stuff and Dime a Dozen Mystery Movie Assembly Line Product. Not Bad, but it is Second Tier Entertainment with Enough Layers of Involvement to make it Worth a Watch. Just don't Expect Anything Out of the Ordinary. Average at Best.

A low-budget murder mystery and undemanding time-killer – which is a real shame. Despite the occasional use of actual locations, obvious studio inserts and phony backdrops give the cost-saving game away. With just a little bit more money in the till, these hazards could easily have been avoided. Admittedly, on it's own penny-pinching level, the movie is interesting enough, even if somewhat slowly paced and somewhat short on action. Nevertheless, it's acted agreeably enough to sustain interest, directed with sufficient tautness, and atmospherically photographed. The characters are both realistically written and tautly played by a well-night perfect cast: Richard Todd, in his first American film, plays with customary charm and stolidity – although not always photographed from the most flattering angles, particularly in his reverse shots. Ruth Roman is delightfully sultry even in what – despite the movie's poster art – is decidedly a goody-two-shoes role. Mercedes McCambridge is her usual neurotic character. Zachary Scott makes a late entrance – 60 minutes late to be precise – but proves a diverting red herring at a point in the narrative where interesting was just beginning to flag. Frank Conroy heads up a very able support cast. King Vidor has directed with his usual dramatic tautness and economy. With just a little bit more money up front, this could have been a high-class mystery yarn, even though the identity of the killer is obvious.