Sidney Poitier made his first big impact in this early drama of racial prejudice, for which scripters Joseph L Mankiewicz (who also directed) and Lesser Samuels were nominated for an Oscar.

He plays a hospital doctor wrongly blamed by crook Richard Widmark for his brother's death after both have been wounded in a gun battle.

Ensuing developments grip tightly, especially when Widmark engineers a riot after refusing an autopsy on his brother's body, and the craftily composed screenplay makes sure that you'll be railing against the injustice of all at the end.