

The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.
Acting
Lange's volcanic breakout; Nicholson at his most feral.
Cinematography
Golden-hour California that makes doom look delicious.

Director
Bob Rafelson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lange was so unknown that Nicholson thought she was an actual waitress when they first met on set.
This was Hollywood's third attempt at James M. Cain's novel; Rafelson fought the studio to keep the bleak ending that MGM softened in 1946.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters