The drama features Farley Granger, Anthony Quinn and Anne Bancroft in a story about an enforcer who tries to control his sister's life by falsely clearing her boyfriend of murder.

[1] Phil Regal (Anthony Quinn), a tough racketeer, pulls strings to get his pregnant unmarried sister Rosalie's punk boyfriend, Nicky, out of a death penalty sentence for killing Barricks, so that they can get married.

The only cheerful thing that occurs is that the sister and wife, played by Anne Bancroft, falls in love with and marries a newspaper man.

"[2] The Buffalo Evening News praised Quinn, Bancroft, and Granger for their acting, but was critical overall: "If there were not a ribbon of ludicrousness running through its violence and brutality-laden scenes, one could call it vicious.

[4] Farley Granger wrote in his autobiography that he thought the movie was "preachy, trite, and pedestrian," although he welcomed the opportunity to work with Anthony Quinn and Anne Bancroft.