In thisuncompromising film, a "regular Joe's" descent into hell starts with ahitch-hike and ends with a lynching. A despairing out-of-work father (FrankLovejoy), whose everyday humiliations mount, casually and fatally hooks up with asmarmy petty criminal (Lloyd Bridges). A string of robberies leads to a brutalmurder a wealthy scion in a class-based revenge killing. The men's guilt issecured and spread by the editorials of an irresponsible press, despite thewarnings of a visiting European, clearly a Marxist, who voices the film'sconscience. But it's too late for theory. The lynching scene is vicious,thorough, brilliant, its final moments played offscreen: the sound of furyrequires the silenced liberals to fill in the images. Following this film thatwas condemned by conservatives and liberals alike, the young Communist CyEndfield would direct one more Hollywood picture before exile inEngland.