Kirk Douglas offers up one of his best, and darkest, performances as Chuck Tatum, a newspaper man with big aspirations for his small town newspaper. Things take a positive turn for Chuck when he stumbles upon a man trapped in a cave. Chuck uses his knowledge of the newspaper business to forestall the man’s rescue so that he can get the maximum amount of press from the story. Chuck also becomes enamored with the man’s wife and their affair and her complicity adds a new layer to a film that was already dark enough. The film operates like a standard noir of the day, but instead of the dirty, dingy streets of the city, this takes place in broad daylight in the middle of nowhere, making it unique in its execution.
This film features a dark turn for Kirk Douglas, but his performance is masterful.
Rich with good dialogue and entertaining the entire time, this one gets…
4 out of 5
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