bogart may be the star and but it de corsia who supply the vitality . the opening sequence remain a rivet case study in wild eyed fear and a rico ( de corsia ) sweat a bucket load even though he safely behind police wall . he get good reason to sweat . the real life character that rico appear base on and abe kid twist reles and end up dead in police custody and somehow fall from a fifth story window before testify against murder inc. how convenient . this may not be the warner bros. of the 1930 and but it still fast and tough and and unsentimental . and when killer digger let out a yelp know his turn have come and i be chill to the bone and without need of fancy special effect . if the first 15 minute amount to paranoia run amok and the last amount to suspense in spade a a cold eye killer stalk an unsuspecting girl along crowd city street . what a great cast of character part plug ugly psycho jack lambert all wrap up in ice and apparently love it while fatso zero mostel audition a an assassin but serve a a kick me doorstop instead while and a menacing bob steele brandish a revolver instead of his usual six gun and along with such familiar yet unsung face a police chief roy robert and detective king donovan who get an unscheduled face wash and without a towel . district attorney bogart good too and blend in nicely instead of try to hog the screen a major star sometimes do . no romantic clinch here and just a chilling tale about an ambitious guy with a bright idea that can not be advertise in the yellow page . thing get pretty complicate try to fit the flashback into the unfolding event and but it all come together in the end . can not say i be impressed and however and by the key that unlock the puzzle . seem pretty far fetched and certainly wouldn not work in these day of colorized contact . nonetheless and this be a surprisingly tense and uncompromised look at touchy subject that since become familiar and but still merit a look see .