"Sent up the river on a 'raw deal,' gangster Joe Sullivan (Dennis O'Keefe) breaks jail, kidnaps his prison social worker, Ann Martin (Marsha Hunt) for hostage purposes and hightails it up to Frisco to avenge himself. Ann is seduced into Joe's world of violence and mayhem, and when she shoots Joe's assailant in the back, they realize their love for one another. But, it's too late for Joe. Raw Deal features the Mann-Alton, eerie half-lighting, cluttered landscapes and bizarre violence, and provides a neat twist on classic film noir: this time it's a straight dame who falls for an homme fatal." Sally Syberg