This movie came out when I was in college and I remember going with a girlfriend to see it - I liked Raymond St. Jacques a lot & still remember him -I loved it! He was so gorgeous and such a good actor - Back then - about 40 years ago (egad !),it was a daring film, and is thus a period piece - I remember the love scenes - I remember thinking how much they cared for each other - You cannot possibly watch this movie without being into what the times were like - I had marched through Harlem only maybe a few years before: the first march through Harlem with all of us together (as I was very active at CIty College (NY)) - Free sex was in its beginnings. The whole audience was hooting and exclaiming through the whole thing - it was really fun! My first experience with that kind of participating audience - the movie might not be the greatest, but the acting is worth it - just for Raymond St. Jacques himself! I've been wanting to see it again for a long time. It's part of the 60's . . .

I'm sure this is not listed in collections of later film noir, but for me, it had many aspects of that genre and when the plot gets started, it is instantly intriguing and brilliant. The film stars Raymond St. Jacques as a man who escaped from prison, hoping to prove his innocence, and he is picked up as a hitchhiker by the wealthy Kevin McCarthy who offers him a deal. He will help him in exchange for St. Jacques killing McCarthy's wife (Dana Wynter). The frantic Wynter doesn't believe him when he tells her what her husband is up to, and hey knocks her unconscious and escapes. This puts him in double trouble, and creates an action crime film so exciting that you won't be able to turn your eyes away.

I don't ever recall seeing McCarthy playing a villain before, and his character is truly slimy. Barbara McNair is an absolute knockout as St. Jacques' love interest, a lounge singer who is sultry yet sweet if a bit sassy when she notices him sketching her while she's singing in a flashback scene that he has while on the run. It's through this flashback that you find out how he was set up. This gives his character a great background which gives him sympathy, and it's a memorable performance.

The film mixes flashbacks with footage set in the present day which gives good insight into St. Jacques' background, with veteran actor Arthur O'Connell as the prosecuting attorney in his trial. While other films who use flashbacks mixed in become confusing and convoluted, it makes perfect sense he has you get to see all of the details that led St. Jacques to where he ends up. There are some truly vile characters he encounters in these flashbacks, so it's obvious that he has not had an easy life which seems ruined by circumstances that he had no cause being involved in.

Daytime diva Susan Seaforth (Hayes) has the small role of the young white woman who is in love with St. Jacques even though she's pregnant with another man's baby, this being released the same year she joined "Days of Our Lives". Her story involvement is quite topical for its time, with racism definitely having a play and the twists that lead to him being on trial in the first place. She also gets a very sultry dance in a black legless body suit which is quite memorable. Interesting, Seaforth has red hair here as opposed to the famous dark locks that made her daytime's most popular superstar in the 1970's.

There are many clever twists and turns here, and the script is one of the finest for a thriller I've ever seen. Ann Prentiss is also intensely good in the sequences after he escapes McCarthy's house, holding St. Jacques at rifle point. Her character definitely has issues, seemingly getting of having him under her control, and when he turns the tables on her, it's obvious that she is beyond crazy. It's a great little twist in a film with lots of twists. This film is a lot of fun is from start to finish, and I definitely see all of the aspects of noir in it, a definite sleeper and unappreciated film that deserves to be rediscovered.

This film begins with a black man by the name of "James Lake" (Raymond St. Jacques) in the process of breaking out of prison somewhere in the Deep South. Unfortunately, his absence from his cell is soon noticed and, although he manages to escape, a prison guard is shot and killed by one of the other guards in the tower. Running as quickly as he can he just happens to come across a man by the name of "Leslie Whitlock" (Kevin McCarthy) who has supposedly developed car trouble. Being a mechanic, James helps him fix the car and as repayment Leslie offers to give him a ride. However, James soon realizes that Leslie isn't nearly as courteous as he pretends because, not long afterward, he reveals that he not only knows that James is an escaped prisoner, but also subsequently attempts to blackmail him into killing his wife "Ellen Whitlock" (Dana Wynter). Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that many people consider this to be an early example of a Blaxploitation movie and--even though it doesn't quite fit some of the technical parameters--I tend to agree with that assessment. Regardless, one thing I can say is that this was a pretty good crime-drama which seemed somewhat risqué for the time-period in question as it not only featured a totally nude Barbara McNair (as James Lake's girlfriend "Lily") in one particular love scene but also had Dana Wynter appearing topless in another one as well. So, it definitely tested the limits. Likewise, it also had an interesting plot which was hampered somewhat by the recurring flashbacks intended to reveal part of the story behind James Lake's imprisonment. Be that as it may, while some viewers might not particularly care for this film, I found this to be an enjoyable movie for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.