The real stars of this are Dorothy Malone as a good girl, Tom D'Andrea as a shady decent guy, Helen Wetcott as a very bad girl . Of course Elisha Cook Jr is always a plus in any sort of dark story, as he is here. And in the title role, Virginia Mayo. She was far from the greatest actress in Hollywood history or the greatest beauty. Here, though, she gives a chilling performance as a voracious, two-timing bitch.
The little smile that comes over her face when others are arrested or convicted is truly chilling. Is the character nuanced? No. Is the plot a deep psychological study? No. But it's a highly effective noir. We dislike Flaxy intensely and can't wait for her to get what's coming to her, as we know she will (this being a major-studio production.) Malone is very convincing as the country girl who seems to to be a backwoods type living improbably close to Manhattan. She's touching, though. Wetcott is a very plausible tramp. Everyone is good, even Zachary Scott, though he seems not to be trying very hard and to be phoning in his performance at times.
This one will chill you and you'll want to watch it again.
The little smile that comes over her face when others are arrested or convicted is truly chilling. Is the character nuanced? No. Is the plot a deep psychological study? No. But it's a highly effective noir. We dislike Flaxy intensely and can't wait for her to get what's coming to her, as we know she will (this being a major-studio production.) Malone is very convincing as the country girl who seems to to be a backwoods type living improbably close to Manhattan. She's touching, though. Wetcott is a very plausible tramp. Everyone is good, even Zachary Scott, though he seems not to be trying very hard and to be phoning in his performance at times.
This one will chill you and you'll want to watch it again.