This film was considered to be a "B" film at that time but it got great critical acclaim. It was shot in a very low-budget in less than one month. It is considered to be one of the fine works of film-noir genre.
New York nightclub pianist Al Roberts (Tom Neal) is in love with a second-rate singer named Sue (Claudia Drake). They both work in a third-rate club in New York City , until Sue decides to try her luck in Hollywood. She leaves Roberts behind. With little money, he has to hitchhike his way across the country. In Arizona, bookie Charles Haskell Jr (Edmund MacDonald) gives him a ride in his car. Haskell dies accidentally . Al fears that police might think him as a killer. So he dumps the body of Haskell at the side of the road. He then takes Haskell's identification, money,clothes and drives away. He picks up another hitchhiker Vera (Ann Savage) and comes to know that she knew Haskell and scratched him deeply in his arm.
Tom Neal's character is doomed from the beginning. He tells everything on flashbacks as a narrator. His character is unlikable and it was supposed to be in that way only. Ann Savage played an excellent femme fatale and her role was the show-stealer in this film. She is not the prettiest femme fatale but she is most devious.
Benjamin H. Kline contributes some great camera work that helps the flashback routine come off well. Leo Erdody's score, revolving around some Chopin themes, aids in backing up the film's grim mood.
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