Directed by: Otto Preminger Mark Dixon (Dana Andrews) became a cop to atone for the sins of his father, a thief who died trying to escape from jail. Dixon tries to do right by the law, but when neither his colleague nor criminals can let him forgot his father's path, he can't seem to shake it off either. He's more than just a no nonsense cop, he cherishes the possibility of violence, looking for any opportunity to beat suspects. When he gets tangled up in a gang war over $19,000, he's put in a bad situation when he kills a crook in self defense. Knowing he's already under investigation for violence by the new precinct commander (Karl Marlden), he has to find a way to cover it up. Of course, it's even more complicated than all that, as Dixon gets involved with the dead man's wife, Morgan (Gene Tierney), whose father Jiggs Taylor, becomes the number one suspect in the murder of his daughter's abusive husband. Dixon's confliction about whether or not to allow the father of the woman he loves to be arrested for a crime that Dixon committed is pitch perfect. The movie is anchored by Dana Andrews. He's able to convey his character so well that the lines between virtue and vice are never clear; he's wracked with guilt over everything he does, but also finds strength and purpose in his actions. Mark Dixon is not a nice guy, he's not even as good as Philip Marlowe is - there's a brooding violence that undergirds his character, and the same violence seems to undergird the film as well. The lines between the good and bad are blurred, and the world is not a simple place.
