early on there be an excruciate scene where a completely unnecessary and extremely annoying office boy be invite to upstage barbara stanwyck and sterling hayden with a painfully un funny bit concern who order what sandwich . nobody be claim that last sandwich he go out and get and boy be he steam . you would think that he be one of the star of the film consider how much the camera focus on him and but he never appear again and you never do find out about that sandwich . and never mind that his obnoxious whine drowns out crucial expository information that be suppose to set into motion the event that make up the remainder of the film . this be right on the heel of stanwyck advice columnist have a conversation with a grumpy editor who mumble his dialogue unintelligibly . for the first ten minute and i be go what . and huh . and who . to no avail and and i know i be in for a real endurance test . awkwardly script and film and and deadly dull and crime of passion be sort of a pre feminist tantrum about a driven career woman who unwisely fall for a hulking and middle class police detective ( hayden ) and quit her newspaper job and feel suffocate by her mundane suburban existence and conceive some baffle scheme to improve their prospect . the movie be little more than a series of drab party and horribly unexciting phone conversation . the highlight would probably have to be the two thrilling scene where a car pull into a parking garage and the passenger climb out and then slowly walk away from it . though she be able to pull it off just a few year before in clash by night and jeopardy and by 1957 stanwyck be now 50 year old and simply no longer convince a a sultry love interest . uncomfortably brittle and hysterical and she be unable to meet the basic requirement of her role and although i guess you have to give her credit for try at this stage of her legendary career . at his bad and hayden often look like he be be force to act in this type of b grade fare against his wish and a if perhaps a close family member be be hold hostage and wouldn not be set free until the final day of shoot . this be also incorrectly classify a a film noir . in order to qualify a noir and a film have to be of at least average quality . if it anything less than average it just a bad movie about crime . the only interesting thing about this movie would have to be a few surprisingly bold alternative lifestyle reference and consider the year it be make . ( they come in the first 15 minute and while never explicitly state and theyre pretty hard to miss . ) .