Two hit men kill a man (Burt Lancaster) who makes no effort to evade them. The insurance investigator (Edmond O'Brien) tries to find out who he was and why he was shot. The film tells his story in a series of flash backs recounted by the people involved in his story, including Ava Gardner as the femme fatale. This is a well produced film with a strong story line from Ernest Hemmingway and good performances from Burt Lancaster as the fighter turned getaway driver and Ava Gardner as the woman who is actually more in control than seems apparent.
4/5 
Burt Lancaster
Ava Gardner
Edmond O'Brien
Albert Dekker
Charles McGraw