aka Deadly Is the Female.Bart Tare (John Dall) is a man with a lifelong fascination with guns, but whilst he likes to shoot them, he wouldn't hurt a fly. Returning from a stint in the army, Tare celebrates by visiting a travelling fair. There he meets and challenges sharpshooter Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins), impressing her and the fair owner who gives him a job, but their obvious attraction to one another gets them the sack, as the jealous owner also has eyes for Laurie. Soon, with no money Starr persuades Bart to rob a store, and inevitably this escalates into a crime spree, and bank jobs. Then Starr gets involved, eager to use her skills with a gun and not so squeamish about harming people. Whilst Bart wants to go straight and sees no good in their career path, Laurie can only see the excitement and the money. Somehow I cannot foresee a long and fruitful relationship with a happy ending...
A solidly made film noir, with great performances from the two leads, all lust and angst, funneled into the form of a pistol. The gun as phallic symbol and Peggy Cummins as the ultimate femme fatale. A low budget film that finds ways around such constraints.
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