This is what I would call a schlocky film. It's definitely in the same vein as the gangster movies from the 1930’s although you do see a switch to Film Noir. The lighting isn’t as intense at will be in this one but you start to see higher contrast and far more shadows playing out onscree. Humphrey Bogart definitely gives off the vibe of his character from Maltese Falcon and you see him shaping this image of himself as the stoic, loner, strong, independent, ethically ambiguous, anti-hero.
The film is pretty bland honestly but is definitely true to form. The ending is a climatic shoot out like you’d hope for. The shootout in the rocky mountainside keeps you gripped to the edge of your seat waiting for someone to fall or a rock slide. It's a great choice of location for a final shootout. However, the characters make erratic choices and the protagonist is doomed in the end like all good 30’s gangster pictures. It’s very much in line with Scarface, Public Enemy, etc… The film feels dated. And the presentation of women is even more misogynistic than before.
Women are clearly taking a back seat in film roles to allow leading men like Bogart to exude this strong, independent, vigilante-esque, corrupted, but sexy, anti-hero vibe. That shift in character dynamics away from a more balanced male to female back and forth banter of the 1930's will come to characterize Hollywood in the late 1940's and 1950's with the rise of Film Noir advocating this cool, slick, criminal in a way, alpha man.