Under director Andre De Toth, the old story of a ‘good’ family man who falls for a bad girl is less big city film noir than suburban film gris, downbeat, sober, realistic. As if Ozzie & Harriet got in major trouble thru sex & lies. And if it doesn’t fully come off, it’s lots more interesting than many that do. Dick Powell plays a ‘butter-and-egg’ man, an insurance exec bored with his ‘perfect’ little life (wife/kid/two-car garage) before he even meets Lizabeth Scott after getting Raymond Burr’s report on her. Scott, sympathetic for a change, is the girlfriend of busted embezzler Byron Barr and Powell’s there as RePo man on the pricey gifts he bought for her with ill-gotten gains. But something deep clicks between these two, and Powell’s ready to drop the wife (Jane Wyatt) & kid to run away. He quickly regrets his actions, but then can’t shake off that hulking investigator (Burr) who’s also got the hots for Ms. Scott, and who gets busy pouring poison about the affair into embezzler Barr's ear right before his prison release date. Loaded with low-key, sympathetic perfs and a believable social milieu, as well as a smart rue-tinged ending, you can feel how much everyone was invested in this modest indie production . . . and it sticks with you.
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