People are voting emotionally.

Good movie but grossly overrated

Absolutely Fantastic

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Girls, guns, fists, and fedoras abound in Mickey Spillane's hard-boiled yarn about an amnesiac (Anthony Quinn) who can't remember if he stole a quarter mil from his boss (a doddering Charles Coburn) or killed the town's D.A. ...not to mention the fact that his girl went and got plastic surgery, so he doesn't know who she is, either. Could it be Venus (a smoking hot Peggie Castle) or one of the other babes who swarm around the craggy Quinn like moths to a flame when he's not dodging bullets? Far-fetched fun for fans of obscure fifties noir with as much sex & violence as the Code allowed -and some of it is quite surreal, especially a bound & gagged Castle crawling across the floor as if in an S&M fever dream.Director Saville and leading lady Castle filmed Mickey Spillane's I, THE JURY the year before (in 3D, no less) but that "Mike Hammer" mystery was more of a sucker punch thanks to Biff Elliot's powder puff PI. It's too bad he and Tony hadn't traded films...

I've had about enough of amnesia stories. It's just a goofy premise and is rarely satisfying, unfortunately it pops up in noir far too often. This one doesn't do anything that original with the concept, and is riddled with plot holes and unanswered questions, but at least it's done with some panache. Thanks to an excellent cast of pulpy characters and terrific cinematography by Franz Planer, it carries the feel of classic hard-boiled noir. There is one fantastic sequence where a tied-up Peggy Castle crawls across a warehouse floor at gunpoint to lay a steamy smooch on our hero, Anthony Quinn. However, I don't care much for Spillane's brand of misogynistic maschismo. This isn't Mike Hammer, but it might as well be, with him throwing punches at every guy he meets, and every gal throwing themselves at him. So while it's probably a real treat for Spillane fans, it's not my cup of tea (or glass of bourbon).

I see by the credits that this gem of a noir was filmed by Franz Planer, who did many classics. I've seen most of the Mickey Spillane movies, and this one has the most distinctive photography. The director Victor Saville seems to have been a better producer than a director. he also had an affinity for Mickey Spillane; he produced nearly all the Mike Hammer movies in the 1950s.The cast is outstanding; besides the great Anthony Quinn, there are several lovely girls, the best being Peggie Castle. Even the trampy woman at the beginning who gets a rude kiss-off from Quinn plays her small part to perfection.The doctor who treats Quinn's hands at the beginning has a familiar face. I've seen him in many TV shows as well as movies.It's impossible to make a bad movie when you have Charles Coburn and Gene Evans backing you up.

One professional reviewer calls this film "meandering, actionless." I'd call it complex and psychological, with well-developed characters and some memorable dialog. It is quintessential film noir with a torrid romance thrown in. You have to suspend your disbelief to buy it, but you'll gladly toss it away and revel in the intensity of it's emotions and unexpected plot twists. It's not just a battle of wits with dangerous adversaries, it's a hero's quest for truth and a search for lost love. You're kept guessing as to the finish right until the end -- more importantly, you care how it ends. I saw it at least a half dozen times back in the 1950s and 60s. I'd like to see it again and discover if it's as good as I remember it -- or whether I was just a hormone-charged teenager with a crush on Anthony Quinn. ;-)