Lerner directs with a wary neutrality that leaves judgment aside; he lets the killer speak his piece, resulting in a few politicized surprises.

Edwards is strongly cast as the killer and provides a quiet menace which pays off in audience attention.

A terrific, no-nonsense B movie which comes on like something by Jean-Pierre Melville: cool, calm and dispassionate.

It's the kind of B movie that was routinely overlooked at the time, but now looks better than just about anything of its type since…