I agree that this is technically an excellent film. But it is also unrelentingly grim and without a payoff of any kind. Given the lowlifes who inhabit this story its hard not to sympathize a bit with Richard Widmark's character. His enthusiasm is as boundless as his optimism. But in the end he doesn't just lose; he is literally thrown away as garbage.And then there is the wrestling scene which was so gruesome it was hard to take. All in all, I was left with the question, what is the point?The commentary leaves a lot to be desired as well. Its basicly a description of what you're watching, while you're watching it.I see everyone regards this as a masterpiece so I'll watch it again but as film noir goes there is something very unsatisfying about this movie.