The strange love of Martha Ivers (Milestone, 1946) #DTC 979

A man has a car breakdown in his hometown and visits the love of his youth, just to stir up a whole lot of murderous trouble.

Although an accident sets the story in motion it is the back story that unfolds during the telling of this noir that makes the dire ending unavoidable. Maybe slightly different from the classical Chandler noir in terms that the protagonist somehow gets away - although not exactly in a good way.

Although some of the scenes felt a bit stagey here and there the film was quite gripping and managed to let me dive into the corrupt world that seems to permeate most of the district, fabulously represented by Kirk Douglas, whose weak nature makes him the perfect nature for a cynic and alcoholic official with a grasp of power.

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