Despite the fact that a circus strong man would have trouble lifting the dough, thin-framed Joseph Cotten makes it all seem so easy, that I expected the plot to turn on the fact that some clever thief had actually robbed good old Joe of his ill-gotten loot and that his thick- sculled character was too stupid to notice. But this typical Andrew L. Stone thriller doesn't pan out that way at all. I will admit that in all other respects (bar one), Andrew L. Stone has done a reasonably good job, using actual locations and some very capable players (even in minor roles) to give the movie an air of verisimilitude. The script packs a fair amount of tension and suspense, although Cotten, as said, is not an ideal pivot. In fact, Cotten could be regarded as the hero you have when you're not having a hero or when all the big names in the business have turned you down. The script is also undercut by some tedious domestic scenes with Teresa Wright. Miss Wright is a very capable actress, but she is all wrong for this particular role.
Review of The Steel Trap
