Special Features: Introduction by Foster Hirsch on Oct 11 & 12

Mercenary pickpocket Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark) and a brassy streetwalker named Candy (Jean Peters) find themselves frantically playing both ends against the middle when some purloined microfilm puts them in the crossfire between Communist spies and federal agents. Samuel Fuller's punchy and apolitical thriller sides with society's marginalized miscreants at a time when the nation was being torn apart by McCarthy-era ideology. Featuring a memorable Oscar®-nominated turn by character actress Thelma Ritter as the sage grafter, Moe. Many consider this Fuller's signature work: smart, savvy and stylish - a cinematic slap in the face that's a perfect blending of Fuller's tabloid style and 20th Century Fox's polished craftsmanship. (Note courtesy of Noir City.) DIR/SCR Samuel Fuller, from a story by Dwight Taylor; PROD Jules Schermer. U.S., 1953, b&w, 80 min. NOT RATED