United States

Magnificent melodrama of diamong-smuggling, [sic] murder and mayhem set among the dusky seas of Hong Kong, this was directed by the turbulent von Sternberg and has become recognised as one of the finest examples of the film noir. A Howard Hughes venture, the production was tampered with after completion and additional scenes were shot by Nicholas Ray to clarify the Mitchum-Russell relationship; but the atmosphere remains one of wholly memorable intensity.