A bank is robbed in broad daylight. Everything about it indicates there was an inside man. Lt. Sam Wagner (Joseph Cotten) is on the case. Clues lean toward bank employee Leon Poole (Wendell Corey). When they come to his apartment to speak to him Poole shouts that he’s not coming out then shoots through the door, injuring one policeman. Wagner busts in, but with the lights out he can’t see. He sees a shadow and shoots. The victim isn’t Poole but his wife, who dies instantly. Poole is convicted and vows revenge.

For two years Poole is a model prisoner and he’s sent to a work camp with less security. When he’s asked to accompany a guard to go into town to help pick up a few things he sees his opportunity. He kills the guard and escapes. But it isn’t Sam Wagner he’s after, it’s his wife Lila (Rhonda Fleming) he wants to kill. An eye for an eye, or rather a wife for a wife is his feeling.

Director Budd Boetticher filmed The Killer is Loose in 15 days. In some ways, you can feel that time (and budget) constraint on screen. It often feels like a made-for-television movie. But in all the ways that count, the film is excellent.

I’ve seen quite a few of Boetticher’s films (including all five in the Ranown Cycle he made with Randolph Scott) and I’ve enjoyed them all. He wasn’t a flashy or even stylish director, but he knew how to get the most out of his limited resources. He was a master of efficiency and that’s certainly true here.

I’m very much a fan of Joseph Cotten as well, and he falls right in step with what Boetticher was going for. His performance is perfect, not flashy. It doesn’t draw attention to itself, it’s just a good performance by an absolute pro.

But it is Wendell Corey who catches my attention. He’s not showy, either, but he plays Poole like a wounded animal. There is a scene early on at the bank where his former Sergeant (John Larch) bumps into him. It seems Poole wasn’t much of a soldier and his Sergeant made fun of him ruthlessly. Later, while holding the Sergeant’s wife (Dee J. Thompson) hostage, he tells her that everyone has always made fun of him. Except his wife. In that moment we understand what he’s doing. It isn’t that the film exempts or forgives Poole of his murderous revenge, but the script and Corey’s performance make us understand, even sympathize to some extent.

Naturally, I always want all my films to be masterpieces, but if I can’t have that then I’ll take a solidly built, professionally created film every time. This is exactly that.