Raw Deal

It's interesting how none of the three lead characters in this picture are redeemable. This is about as noir as a person can get! And I think it's interesting how the sexual dynamics between Dennis O'Keefe and both women (played by Claire Trevor and Marsha Hunt) are continued throughout the story. His character is definitely not a one-woman man, and both gals seem to know it. Usually, if there is cheating in a movie of this era, regardless of the genre, one of the participants does not know, and does not find out about the unfaithfulness of their partner until two-thirds of the way into the story.

But with RAW DEAL, all the cards are on the table right up front, and yet both women want to have an on-going relationship with him, and he clearly enjoys being able to be satisfied by each one at the same time, in different ways. It's a shocking revelation, and one wonders if a major studio would have attempted such material with an A-picture. Perhaps it's just as well, and all the more reason to appreciate a more independent film releasing corporation like Eagle-Lion and director Anthony Mann, who is willing to push the boundaries.