The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950)

There is something entertaining in a film noir experiencing a criminal feeling the noose tightening around their neck. This is particularly true when the criminal is a crooked cop. Lee J Cobb carries this well, not giving two bits about anyone who might be in his way. Jane Wyatt as his murdering girlfriend goes far in shedding the mom next-door persona that I associate with her from her Father’s Knows Best years. The twisty roads and limited egress in San Francisco makes the city a character itself in such a film, breathing down the neck of the characters.