derekph-1 Barely watchable nourish radiation-fear exploitation thriller about escaped convict (Vince Edwards) who is carrying a canister of radioactive Cobalt 60 that he thinks is heroin. Hilarity ensues. But really. If cops were this stupid, no crooks would ever get caught. ** SPOILER ALERT *** First, no photo of him? A convicted criminal? Really? Second, don't tell any of his accomplices how dangerous the canister is – they may not believe you, but so what? You have a chance, at least. Really. Third, don't bother to follow his accomplices, they might lead you to him! Really. Fourth, radiation from the canister would not leave the surroundings radioactive if none of the contents escaped. Really. Fifth, what the F is that canister made of? They said it was some sort of steel, but he can't dent it with chisels and sledge-hammers. Really? Sixth, after three days in direct contact with that canister, he should be totally helpless, not beating up his buddy and running around the streets. Really. Seventh, these cops are the worst interrogators in the world, they never ask a useful question. Really. 3/10 for the cool 50's cars and views of LA. And Edwards is eye candy. But really.

Marc Lamphier A completely awful film, from the wooden acting of the square-jawed, no-nonsense fat boys who are in search if the escapee, to the usual Hollywood plot device of not informing the public because "there will be mad panic!" (boy, has that one been milked over the years), to radioactivity that somehow leaves a contamination footprint behind even when the container was not opened. A lot of shots of police cars driving in formation, which I guess gives the appearance of men in action. But the low budget of this film meant a lot of actual street scenes of 1950s Hollywood, the cars, the stores, the people -- it is a nice time slip back a few decades, and fun to watch if for nothing else than the background.

arbesudecon Nice and well paced B thriller , one of those in which you enjoy the way the directors manage to overcome the obvious script and budget limitations to create a personal piece of work , as much as the film itself . It happened in the past and still happens today , what could have turned into a routine movie it's saved by an skilled director who is able to add some spark to what otherwise could be an unremarkable film Lerner was an absolute expert on this task and It's quite appealing to see this in action and how he manages to create and maintain the tension throughout this film . Literally he builds it out from nothing , no budget and based on a script that you probably came across on a dozen of movies before . All action and trouble comes from an small cylinder allegedly containing heroine worth 1 million USD , which has been stolen by a convict during his prison break . It contains a highly radioactive material instead which causes the alarm and the relentless pursuit of the convict .Don't get any wrong impression , this is a classic man on the run B thriller , and as such there are some incongruences but mostly it's filmed imaginatively enough to offset the lack of budget and keep the interest It can be compared to what happened with Budd Boetticher , both get some attention when they received some props from Scorssesse himself , so that shed some light to their careers which thus far have been quite neglected by the general public.

secragt A tawdry low budget pot boiler featuring dynamite performances by Vince Edwards and a similarly game supporting cast. I know Edwards is probably most famous for his heroic Ben Casey role, but he sure chewed up a lot of upholstery in movies like this one and MURDER BY CONTRACT the year before. A lot of the charm comes in watching this police procedural unfold. Lots of seedy low lives generally keep up the off color flavor and the suspense builds nicely over the course of time.Some of the discussion of radioactivity is dated, but the cannister makes a great macguffin for the gruff talking' square-jawed Men of Law to pursue. It really wouldn't have taken much to raise this from a guilty pleasure and enjoyable cautionary tale to something along the lines of KISS ME DEADLY, but it's almost more quaint to see this mostly forgotten and obscure b-movie in its under-appreciated present form, if you can find it. The last shot of the movie is quite a hoot! Fine, jazzy musical score by a then-very young Jerry Goldsmith.