For Them That Trespass

Cavalcanti possessed a remarkable ability to create a broad, sweeping narrative while focusing on the dark and dingy details within it, as this adaptation of Ernest Raymond’s noirish novel attests. Imprisoned due to a miscarriage of justice, Herb Logan emerges embittered from a lengthy sentence and resolves to clear his name. His determination to unmask the murderer leads him into danger in both the urban underworld and the middle-class milieu of a country-dwelling author. Newcomer Richard Todd impresses alongside strong supporting players, including James Hayter and a particularly poignant Vida Hope.