ella be excellent and franchot be unavoidably over the top ( but he play similar part in other film such a the man on the eiffel tower ) and alan be nearly non existent but the film certainly thrill . mild spoiler ahead represent i wonder how many time elisha cook get strangle in his film but i seem to recall various other example . i will avoid name the murderer but i think it necessarily obvious because of the plot thriller demand . a very well do but date film noire ( for example represent everyone smoke like crazy and the police be really stock character . and no dead body be ever show and unlike today gore fests . ) do in the familiar short scene tableaux format of the period . positive .