A soberly realised recreation of the 1939 boxing scene, depicted here as a milieu inhabited by gangsters, two-timing promoters and spectators baying for blood. William Holden made a memorable major movie debut as a talented violinist who dons gloves to finance his musical education. But Barbara Stanwyck dominates and steals every scene she's in as the snake-like female Iago, who encourages his fighting career, with tragic results. Despite its excellent fight scenes, the film was not a hit with the public and critics were sniffy about Hollywood toning down Clifford Odets' original play. Odets himself objected so much that he refused to write the screenplay.


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