Jandy Hardesty’s review published on Letterboxd:
A Monogram picture, with the low budget that implies, but there's still a lot to like here, especially in the lead performance by Barry Sullivan, who almost seems at times like a prototype for Le samourai (though decidedly not at others). The plot is very slight, hinging on small-time gangster Shubunka's (Sullivan) numbers racket being taken over by a rival and his inability to do anything about it, paralleled by a subplot of a scared kid (an intense John Ireland) in over his head with a gambling debt...and his inability to do anything about it. There are some nice thematic ties like that and several well-staged moments that make up for some overdetermined plot elements involving the girlfriend.
Look for a surprising number of awesome supporting players, from Harry Morgan in a very odd subplot about his mastery of seduction to Elisha Cook Jr to Sheldon Leonard.
Memorable moments:
- Karty's first attempt to get money from Shubunka - John Ireland is a coiled mass of nerve, just great.
- The close-ups on Shubunka's face, almost expressionless, except it's not.
- Shubunka's cruel takedown of the shop clerk (she's quitting because she found out the numbers game they were running), and her unfazed response.
Flickchart ranking: 1785 out of 3508 (49%)