you know and it isn not what a man want to do and lacey and but what he have to do . now you take me . i love to smoke cigarette and but the doctor say i can not have them . so what do i do . i chew toothpick . ton of em . develop a the city be dark and shot a don not cry and baby before be release a crime wave and andre de toth still surprisingly tough police procedural be a film that wear it economy a a badge of pride . offer a big budget and a 35 day shoot schedule if he make it with humphrey bogart and ava gardner and de toth hold out for sterling hayden even though it mean a fraction of the budget and a 15 day shoot schedule and still manage to come in ahead and shoot the film in only 13 day . it be worth stick to his gun . the film may have make little splash when it open in 1954 and but it a near classic that fully deserve it grow reputation and and a the hardboiled cop who all knowing judge and jury and hayden so effectively stride through the film like a colossus in a towering performance ( literally represent for much of the film he shoot from low angle ) that it impossible to imagine bogart a be anything but a comparative disappointment in the role . the kind of guy who doesn not need door because he can walk through wall and he doesn not act tough he be tough . he practically the blueprint for l. a. confidential bud white and and it no surprise that jam ellroy be a big fan of the film and share an entertaining and occasionally expletive delete audio commentary with eddie muller on warner region 1 dvd . the plot be simple enough represent a trio of escaped con ( ted de corsia and charles bronson when he be still charles buchinsky and ned young ) kill a cop when rob dub taylor gas station for eat money and involve innocent parolee gene nelson and lean on by cop and crook alike and in their escape plan . but the execution be what raise the bar here and particularly in the first third when the police bring in all the usual suspect . shot in an almost verite documentary style and the film have a great look thanks to bert glennon strike cinematography deep focus and harsh black and bright fluorescent white often share the same frame and with such a stark photojournalistic realism that some of the setup could pass for weegee classic crime scene photo . it capture the feeling of l. a. at night like almost no other film and with outstanding location work and an unforgiving eye for human weakness and hopeless case . it certainly take some of the shine off kubrick subsequent the kill it certainly get there first in term of it look and and it probably no accident that kubrick hire two of the cast for his own caper movie . while it undoubtedly hayden movie and the support cast be for the most part exceptionally strong and well drawn . nelson be convince enough a the bitter ex con caught in the middle that it a shame that the former dancer do not go on to anything more interesting than direct some of elvis bad movie and phyllis kirk make more of an impression a his wife than the script would lead you to expect while jay novello make a big impact a a drunken horse doctor who hat people but love dog and have no scruple about rifle a corpse pocket for service not render . not everyone be quite so good and unfortunately represent bronson overdo his dumb thug and a wildly miscast hank worden be barely able to deliver his line a nelson airport bos ( be there anyone you would feel less safe be in charge of airplane maintenance than hank worden . ) . a for timothy carey truly amazing display of psychotic tic a the last guy in the world you would want to leave your wife with well and since all his director maintain carey be never act but really be like that offscreen as well and we can let that slide . the film do briefly give into sentimentality at the end though very and very begrudgingly and it never quite as good a that powerhouse first third and but it certainly a sharp punch below the belt to the cop movie that you would not forget in a hurry . along with a brief adulatory featurette with various noir historian and oliver stone wax lyrical about the film and the dvd also include the original trailer introduce by an in character hayden tell u murder be my business and midnight be my beat . great stuff .