A film noir — starring Edmond O'Brien and Pamela Britton — about a man who has been poisoned and, with only a few days left to live, sets out to find his killer. Considered a classic of the genre, the film is now in the public domain in the U.S. due to an error related to the renewal of the copyright. It is noted for its distinctive cinematography, exemplified by the opening sequence, a long tracking shot of the main character walking through the corridor of a police station to report his own murder. The director Rudolph Maté had an extensive background in cinematography, having worked on films in both Europe and Hollywood and been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in five consecutive years in the 1940s.