13 Movies Actually Ghost Directed By A Second Filmmaker

From its sudden opening, as a seemingly normal suburban male (Richard Baseheart) brutally guns down a casually inquisitive police officer, to its gripping manhunt finale set in densely lit sewer tunnels, this often overlooked Film Noir is essential viewing for fans of the genre.

It remains groundbreaking for a number of reasons, most importantly though, its one of the earliest examples of the controversial precedent of ‘ghost directing’.

Hired hand Alfred L. Werker is credited as director, yet film historians have pointed to it as the clear product of Noir stalwart Anthony Mann. What exactly occurred behind-the-scenes has been lost by history, yet many point to Mann leaving the project with it near completion and Werker coming in to wrap up the remaining days.

With that in mind several scenes can feel like night-and-day, Werker was as workman-like as they come, with his obvious scenes - usually centred around the vanilla plot of cops on the chase- done standard and unimaginative. On the other hand, Mann was one of the most visually distinct Noir directors, especially when accompanied by cinematographer John Alton (as he is here).

Mann's highly stylised approach mixed with gritty thematics are ever present. Both him and Alton shared a kinetic partnership with a penchant for long corridors, disorientating angles, and feverish contrast lighting. All these traits are showcased here, proving this movie can easily fit in with their other genre landmarks T-Men and Raw Deal.