dir. Joseph H. Lewis
writ. Philip Yordan
feat. Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Jean Wallace, Robert Middleton, Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman, Helene Stanton
"I treated her like a pair of gloves. I was cold, I'd call her up."
So states Lieutenant Diamond (Wilde), describing his relationship with a burlesque dancer after she has met a grim fate in this wonderfully gritty noir. Diamond is determined to bring down ruthless crime boss Mr. Brown (Conte), though he struggles to come up with any solid evidence. As his boss says, he's "fighting a swamp with a teaspoon." Conte is incomparable as the sharp-talking, venomously precise sociopath who prides himself on his vicious, take-no-prisoners approach to leading the syndicate. And to keep the sparring of these two from being simply a cold battle of icy wills, Diamond has fallen for Brown's girl over the course of his surveillance, his love adding fuel to his fire.
As Diamond seeks the evidence he needs, he encounters a host of supporting players on both sides of the fence, all turning out compelling, nuanced performances whether that burlesque dancer (Stanton), Brown's all-too-chummy couple of goons (Van Cleef and Holliman), or Brown's much maligned second in command (Donlevy). Along with these contributions, the gorgeously calculated cinematography of John Alton keeps the audience wading through the shadows of the oppressive uphill battle.
As in the best of noir, Combo lives and dies in the gray spaces between. While the moral message of the good guy ultimately winning (with love helping to save the day) may be drawn from the story, the excessive burden for the noble Diamond and the cost of his struggle throw the value of the quest into doubt, caught in the murky haze of the finale.
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