Jeff Bailey seems to be a mundane gas station owner in remote Bridgeport, CA. He is dating local girl Ann Miller and lives a quiet life. But Jeff has a secret past, and when a mysterious stranger arrives in town, Jeff is forced to return to the dark world he had tried to escape.
Each change of angle and shift of light evokes an inner disturbance; the actors seem to push through the dense shadow as through water, revealing fast people in slow motion ...
– Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
7 Apr 2014
fresh:
The most delicate and nuanced of film noirs, graced with a reflective lyricism that almost lifts it out of the genre.
– Dave Kehr,
Chicago Reader,
18 Apr 2007
fresh:
One of the greatest of all film noirs.
– Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times,
20 Jan 2006
fresh:
It's very snappy and quite intriguingly played by a cast that has been well and smartly directed by Jacques Tourneur.
– Bosley Crowther,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
fresh:
Cinematic perfection, a Hollywood classic that's as great and as enjoyable as its reputation has promised.