it hard to believe that above the line talent like gordon douglas and harry brown and horace mccoy could fall so badly into the old flashback trap while you know the one and one character begin to tell another or and in this case and a crowded courtroom of something that happen in the past and almost as soon a be in full flashback mode the character narrate disappears leave u to watch a series of event at which he be not present and by extension could have no knowledge of . perhaps the fact that this film be now 59 year old and what be arguably fast move then now veer toward the pedestrian draw attention to this basic flaw . it quite possible that viewer at the time be prepare to put up with sloppiness like this if they be catch up in the plot . clearly it be a cynical ploy to cash in on the success of the previous year white heat which provide cagney with one of his fine gangster role . he have another good gangster role here but it never go to get even close to cody jarret . neither barbara payton nor helena carter have any real charisma a the two love interest compete for cagney and stalwart such a barton mclane and luther adler and ward bond and rhys williams appear to be walk through it and or or phone it in . it certainly watchable a a filler on television which be where i saw it and it do keep me watch til the finale which and inevitably and end in tear .