An okay film that has great camera work and interesting story revelations and an interesting thriller structure but obviously not Orson Welles’ best or second best film. The story is a little farcical in nature, especially with that stupid Irish accent and character, and the plot is a little convoluted.
The ending scene with the shootout in the mirror fun house room is great because it clearly sets up that device for horror films and other films later on. Welles is definitely inventive in terms of the camera work. He tries a lot with high angle shots here, especially in the courtroom, but also notably on close-ups, the shot overhead over the water when Grisby tells Ohara that he is the one to be killed, still framing the two of them clearly shows impending doom.
As the book says it has shards of genius that can never be put together to make sense. The film is just kind of convoluted filmmaking but with strokes of great performance and writing too, as well as camera directing. The close-ups and camera movements/staging of the actors is great.
This is what throwaway work looks like. This is director for hire. Obviously Welles didn’t care about this film compared to Citizen Kane, Magnificent Ambersons, or touch of evil. And this is what it looks like. Nonetheless the man is clearly a genius as he gave the mirror shoot-out sequence to filmmakers forever even in a throwaway film.