The Cinematheque

“When a killer dreams of millions … and a girl to spend them on!” Lloyd Bridges is violence-prone master counterfeiter and prison escapee Tris Stewart in this seedy, stylish film noir set in L.A. and made for Poverty Row studio Eagle-Lion. Tris’s bogus bills are so perfect the U.S. Treasury Department seeks his help. The lively plot is full of twists and turns, double-crosses, and unexpected reversals. Barbara Payton — an ill-fated actress whose own short life took tragic noir turns — plays blonde bombshell and nightclub cigarette girl Meg Dixon, Tris’s lover. The electrifying climax is set in an underground trolley-car barn. The film has been beautifully restored from a private collector’s print. Director Richard Fleischer moved on from B‑movies to major motion pictures such as The Vikings, Doctor Doolittle, and Fantastic Voyage.