Crime Wave

A recently resurfaced noir classic, in which an ex-con (Gene Nelson) is trapped between his criminal ex-buddies (Charles Bronson, Ted De Corsia and Timothy Carey), pulling him back into the underworld and the tough, toothpick-chewing L.A. cop (Sterling Hayden) who wants to make him a stoolie. Harsh, rough, sharp as a knife. [24 Oct 1997, p.L]

De Toth never makes a false move, never lets up a breakneck pace and gets sensational performances from one of those amazing casts we once took for granted in Hollywood pictures. [13 Aug 1998, p.F16]

Andre de Toth’s 1954 noir is gritty, powerful, and economically told. Read full review

A relentlessly unforced potboiler that gazes at noir through the looking glass. Read full review

This one is a tensely clammy screw-tightener about an ex-con (Gene Nelson) pressured to become part of a bank heist. No cop ever chewed a toothpick better than Sterling Hayden does here. [07 Jan 1996, p.C31]

André De Toth's film noir benefits from lovely LA location work and a strong supporting cast, including a scenery-chewing cameo from Timothy Carey. [10 Dec 2011, p.38]

Mr. de Toth's tour is a brisk, pictorial one, honeycombing the shadowy metropolitan fringes and byways where vigilant police sift a gallery of chameleonic habitués. But this canvas narrows considerably, at times unconvincingly, in appraising the plight of Mr. Nelson. Read full review

Nelson is most believable in a nonhoofing role. Read full review