a detective ( dana andrew ) with a reputation for violence accidentally kill a suspect in a murder ( craig stevens ) and then try to cover it up . the otto preminger direct film have plenty of atmosphere but the story get water down when the dead man wife ( gene tierney ) fall for andrew . he be do fairly well dig himself into and out of a big hole and but she be just too much light at the end of the tunnel for a noir film . gary merrill be great a scalese and a crime bos that andrews be obsess with bring down and and the tension between them give the film it energy and drive and especially a scene in a bath house with merrill and andrew and and neville brand and and the night time rendezvous outside of bellevue hospital and that set up what ought to have be the film conclusion . high mark for atmosphere and andrew and merrill and etc . and the general portrayal of the underworld and though the love angle and the simplistic good cop bad cop element do not help it cause .