Almost an homage to the great gangster movies of the 30’s, this film utilizes film noir lighting and its look with a more realistic approach. The story is very captivating, following a young man entering the criminal underworld as he tries to keep his ex-lover who is currently with his Gangster boss in line and prevent her from getting both of them killed. Rita Hayworth is Stunning.
She is a huge sex symbol in this film and shows it off in her striptease sequences in the movie which were probably the biggest draw to this film rather than the plot.
We see the sexual politic shift even more inward with this film as the portrayal of women is more and more misogynistic and possessive of women’s bodies. Men are encouraged to own and sexually master women and this movie really does inflate that cultural narrative greatly.