Below The Deadline

They taught this G.I. to use a gun...and he's using it" exclaimed the publicity for this film noir programmer. Turns out G.I. Joe Hilton uses his fists more than a gun, but the point remains: The battle-hardened veteran is no one to take lightly. Returned from combat in the Pacific, Joe is haunted by the carnage he witnessed and resentful of those who stayed behind and got rich while he served his country. Now it's Joe's turn. "I'm going to get mine and nobody's going to stop me," he declares. He falls in with corrupt political kingmakers and their gambling rackets centered on a dice scam called 26 Game. But in the thematic world of film noir, the dice may not always tumble in Joe's favor. Warren Douglas, who plays Joe, would combine acting with a writing career that included the scripts for many early-T V Westerns produced by Warner Bros. Director William Beaudine gives the film his trademark "One Shot" efficiency.

• crime
• drama