A film noir with Jack Palance as Charlie Castle. a put upon actor who wants out of his contract with a megalomaniac director named Stanley Hoff (Rod Steiger). However Huff has a hidden dark secret about Castle he will reveal if the contact isn't signed and followed.
Palance's character of Charlie is brilliant. Charlie is torn between staying in Hollywood and making movies for HUff, being a free spirit and keeping his wife Marion (Ida Lupino) happy and to stop her from leaving him.
As the film progresses the viewer easily can see how Charlie is being twisted from all sides and how things are starting to close in on him. One by one the characters are introduced and Aldrich gets the most out of every actor. The film is shot almost entirely on one set and this works tremendously to create more tension.
If you haven't seen this gem, I won't give away the ending, but let's just say it's really depressing and quite messed up, but then that is what one expects from a film noir.
The supporting cast is excellent and includes Wendell Corey as Smiley Coy, the studio publicist and yes man to Stanley Hoff, Jean Hagen as Connie Bliss, a wanton woman who tries to seduce Charlie, Everett Sloane as Nat Danzinger..Charlie's agent, Shelley Winters as Dixie Evans Wesley Addy and Paul Langton.
If you haven't seen this, I recommend you do. It's bleak, depressing, dark and damn good entertainment, and yes, it is a scathing look at the Hollywood community back then and to me how it still is today. Based on the storey by Clifford Odets.
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