This is an excellent film in every respect. The famous criminal lawyer around whom the story revolves is played by Pat O'Brien. He is all the more convincing for not being a glamorous actor, thus making it more real. His secretary is played by Jane Wyatt, who lived to be 95 having made 94 films; she was such a pro there was never going to be any trouble with her handling with aplomb some situations and dialogue which in lesser hands might have seemed a bit too saccharine. But one of my favourite actors also has a major role in this film, namely Mike Mazurki (1907-1990). He achieved permanent fame for playing the unforgettable Moose Malloy in the Raymond Chandler film MURDER, MY SWEET (1944), the tall thug, just released from prison, who was pathetic in his insistent search for his girlfriend Velma and hired Philip Marlowe (played by Dick Powell) to find her. In this film Mazurki is also called Moose, doubtless in homage to his most famous role of seven years before. He towers over all the other actors, as he was six foot five inches tall. The script by Harold Greene (who also wrote KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL, released the following year), is simply brilliant. Constructing this labyrinthine story was quite a task! The twists and turns of this story defy summary, but involve lawyers, judges, gangsters, a bereaved widow, a shoe shine boy, and plenty of others. There's something here for everybody, but especially for criminal lawyers.
