Sassy Lana Turner and drifter John Garfield fall in love and plot to bump off her dull-as-ditchwater husband in smouldering film noir style. First they wire up his bath and then when that fails, they opt for the old car-pushed-off-the-cliff lark.
The film skilfully exploits the ambiguous moral subtext as the protagonists wrestle with their consciences and a brooding mutual mistrust. A dark, menacing atmosphere and a powerful denouement make this a triumph of plot-driven narrative and sparky dialogue.
Both leads excell at showing a true feeling (be it love or lust) but both covered in the guilty angst that one will betray the other. Edge of your seat stuff.