I would recommend this thriller/film-noir to anyone who enjoys a diabolical murder mystery film. The three main actors/actress were absolutely outstanding in their respective roles. Stuart Whitman plays a convicted murder named Alex Forrester who is placed in a prison for the mentally insane, accused of murdering his wife. His only friend in the world is the psychiatrist who is treating him in prison, a man named Dr. Mark Fleming played by Edward Mulhare. After Alex's release is once again suspended by a panel of doctors and a parole board, Alex takes the first opportunity to make a daring escape to the nearby farm house he has admired for the past five (5) years from his jail cell.
The farm house is owned by a lovely young woman (and her absent husband) named Molly Thomas played by Joanne Woodward. Alex overtakes Molly by gunpoint and convinces her to hide him out just for two weeks which is the exact time required to allow him to request a retrial according to his psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Fleming.
This is an excellent cat and mouse game, but the plot is thicker than a London fog, and Molly Thomas's luxurious farm house is the perfect hiding spot for the three main characters to eventually show who is the cat and who is the mouse.
It is a captivating black and white film-noir which I have placed on my Christmas wish list to obtain a copy of the film, for my personal film library. I wish the Criterion Collection would release a 4K Blu Ray version as it is most deserving of being included in this elite collection.
