I'm a big fan of John Garfield and in this starring vehicle, even if it is almost a conventional noir thriller, with his dash and brio he helps elevate it to a higher level.
He plays a conman named Nick Blake whose modus operandum appears to be romancing gullible females out of their fortunes. As we join the action, he's just been demobbed from the army and returned to New York to claim his share of a night-club investment as well as, so he thinks, the affections of his old girl-friend. As it happens both try to do the dirty on him, but our hero comes away better off, not only having ditched the double-crossing dame but also collected on his debt, with interest.
So he moves out to L. A. where he and his sidekick-chum hook up with an ex-accomplice, Walter Brennan's old-timer. Nick wants to kick back in some luxury and decide his next move and soon enough is lured by another ex-contact, this time an unfriendly one, George Coulouris's Doc, into schmoozing a displaced rich young widow, Geraldine Fitzgerald out of her fortune. Only Nick has the looks and charm to pull off the con but naturally it starts to unravel and thieves fall out when Garfield and Fitzgerald start to fall for each other...
Directed with some panache by Jean Negulescu before he made his soft-soap romances of the 50's, it all climaxes in a darkened beach-house, naturally in the rain. Garfield drives the film with his energy and personality and gets good support especially from the wizened old Brennan and Fitzgerald as the love interest.
Even if not the very pick of his filmography, this is still a very watchable feature and in the compromised, conflicted Blake character, there's ample demonstration of the considerable charisma and charm it seemed to me Garfield brought to most of his movies.
He plays a conman named Nick Blake whose modus operandum appears to be romancing gullible females out of their fortunes. As we join the action, he's just been demobbed from the army and returned to New York to claim his share of a night-club investment as well as, so he thinks, the affections of his old girl-friend. As it happens both try to do the dirty on him, but our hero comes away better off, not only having ditched the double-crossing dame but also collected on his debt, with interest.
So he moves out to L. A. where he and his sidekick-chum hook up with an ex-accomplice, Walter Brennan's old-timer. Nick wants to kick back in some luxury and decide his next move and soon enough is lured by another ex-contact, this time an unfriendly one, George Coulouris's Doc, into schmoozing a displaced rich young widow, Geraldine Fitzgerald out of her fortune. Only Nick has the looks and charm to pull off the con but naturally it starts to unravel and thieves fall out when Garfield and Fitzgerald start to fall for each other...
Directed with some panache by Jean Negulescu before he made his soft-soap romances of the 50's, it all climaxes in a darkened beach-house, naturally in the rain. Garfield drives the film with his energy and personality and gets good support especially from the wizened old Brennan and Fitzgerald as the love interest.
Even if not the very pick of his filmography, this is still a very watchable feature and in the compromised, conflicted Blake character, there's ample demonstration of the considerable charisma and charm it seemed to me Garfield brought to most of his movies.