Tight Spot (1955)

The world is a gritty, dangerous place in Phil Karlson's Tight Spot, one in which "fair" and "right" are concepts that can earn a person a trip to the graveyard. It takes a brave and/or foolish person to risk her life in such a world; Sherry Conley is no fool, and her courage is committed to making sure she survives. Ginger Rogers does an excellent job as Sherry, turning in one of her finest dramatic performances. It's a role that lets Rogers really turn on the juice, and she delivers full force. True, the actress is too old for the part, and not just because of the age difference between her and Brian Keith, with whom she shares a sexual attraction. The character itself needs to be flinty and hard, but young enough so that her dilemma and her attitude makes better sense. Still, Rogers is so good that most will let the "age factor" fall by the wayside. Her co-stars, notably Edward G. Robinson and Keith, are also in very fine form, making for a sterling supporting cast. And Phil Karlson delivers taut, gripping direction, while indulging his fondness for oblique angles as well as geometric patterns, using arches/ovals and rectangles (or the sudden absence thereof) to achieve highly effective results. Spot's script occasionally wavers, and the dialogue is often stilted, but overall it's a powerful crime drama. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide