I was pretty sleepy most of the time during the screening, maybe that has something to do with my ambivalence toward it. This is too bad, because apparently it's yet another rare film that isn't available on DVD nor tape (right... tape), so I won't get to have a second chance to re-evaluate.This movie is definitely unusual in that it is an arty noir; the emphasis of the story is on the drama and tension between the gang members after a successful heist. I respect the psychological aspect, but have beef with its pacing and spotty storyline. Sure, the latter is the usual with film noir, but mixing that with character studies became a frustration for me. The fact that the script didn't spend enough time on the characters doesn't help either. Fortunately, the movie did evolve into well, just another film noir, with great scenes at an amusement park in Atlantic City. Action, pacing, and film production all work fabulously here.
The movie was excellent production wise, and cinematography is quite good (in 1.85:1 AR). It also features Jayne Mansfield and Martha Vickers, though she was not given to do all that much. Meh, can't blame them for being ambitious.
