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Lack of good storyline.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

First of all, we all agree that George Raft was wooden and didn't have a clue what a good script looked like. He did turn down CASABLANCA, MALTESE FALCON and DOUBLE INDEMNITY. But this script produced and directed by Roy Del Ruth is bottom of the barrel. How Virginia mayo ever got tied up to this production is a mystery. A waste of her time and effort especially since she was in a flurry of excellent films like WHITE HEAT and Colorado TERRITORY.At least Raymond Burr and Henry Morgan bring some life to the proceedings. Dmitri Tiomkin's score hammers home every scene like a sledge hammer. He makes Max Steiner look subtle. He uses Ave Maria to the point of nausea. I can't imagine how this film could appeal to many folks looking for a good suspenseful film noir. A tepid try not worth your time.

This is an Obscure Film-Noir that Should be Better Known because it is Certainly a Strange Brew of Religion, Revenge, and Noir. Brutal at Times the Film is Punctuated with Messages from the Bible and the Look is Acutely Dark and Shadowed with Iconic Flourishes.George Raft is at His One Note Best as He goes on a Man-Hunt Looking for the Killer of His Priest Brother. The Gideon Bible Itself is the McGuffin and Plays an Ending Twist of its Own. Raymond Burr is a Sleazy, Nasty and Violent Thug along with His Partner in Crime Henry Morgan (who was never dirtier).Although the Preaching at Times is a Heavy Load of Thumping it Never Quite goes Over the Top and Film-Noir Wins Out. A Couple of Times Raft Stops the Sermonizing with a Speech of His Own that Keeps Things where They Ought to be..."Save that eyewash for your Sunday Sermon".What a bit of Nastiness this is. Virginia Mayo doesn't do much Except Stand Around and Look Pretty, but the Rest of the Cast is in Top Noir Mode. It is a Grimy One that Deserves the Attention of Film-Noir Fans and Lovers of the Dark Side that Only these Low-Budget Movies could Pull Off. You Won't Find a Noir this Quirky or Bizarre. Note...Robert Aldridge is the second unit Director.

With so much of this gangster melodrama revolving around the Gideon Bible holding the clue to the murderer, it's no wonder that Dimktri Tiomkin plays up the pious "Ave Maria" every time any mention of "the clue" is made. George Raft's monotone voice and intense expression never changes much throughout, but he's convincing as a man on a mission to find and kill his brother's murderer.Along the way, he enlists the aid of the lovely Virginia Mayo, who helps him track down the killer while reminding him that his brother was strictly a "Thou shalt not kill" sort of Army Chaplain. Thus, the grim ending for the killer comes not from Raft but providence when he's disposed of quite dramatically.Raymond Burr plays the "heavy," a sadistic thug who seems to enjoy every kill, even if it means pushing a man off a train or having a truck falling on top of a man in hiding. A good cast, including Arthur Franz as Raft's brother, Gene Lockhart, Harry Morgan, Barton MacLane, Ken Murray, William Frawley and Arthur Shields. Virginia Mayo gives an excellent performance as the gutsy gal who helps Raft in his quest to find a killer.Trivia: Interesting to note that most of the supporting cast would go on to TV fame in an era when that medium was just starting to give film players some iconic breaks.Summing up: Good revenge melodrama with film noir touches.

This obscure crime drama/pseudo-noir, independently produced and directed by Roy Del Ruth for United Artists, is well worth a look. Figurative (and, later in life, literal) heavy Raymond Burr plays Nick Cherney, an embezzler doing time for ripping off his employer, shipping company boss Johnny Torno (George Raft). Nick's understandably cheesed off about his conviction, and asks fellow con Rocky (Henry Morgan) - who's being released before him - to serve Johnny a heaping helping of payback after he gets out of stir. The cooperative Rocky obliges by murdering Johnny's priest brother Jess (Arthur Franz), but Johnny isn't willing to take his sibling's death lying down - until he reads some marginalia in Jess's bible. Shot on location in beautiful Carmel, California, Red Light also features Virginia Mayo, Gene Lockhart, and William Frawley (who has an interesting telephone conversation about plumbing), first rate James Van Trees cinematography, and an original score by Dmitri Tiomkin.