This iconic film noir stars Richard Basehart as a cold-hearted cop killer. With a supporting cast that includes Whit Bissell, Jack Webb, and Roy Roberts, this feature from director Alfred L. Werker (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Shock) is generally considered one of the great police dramas of all time, and a forerunner of TVs Dragnet. Helped by the incomparable camera work of cinematographer John Alton, and an uncredited assist from director Anthony Mann, the film was described in Variety as a high-tension crime thriller, supercharged with violence but sprung with finesse.