German auteur Fritz Lang directs this gritty, violent drama that follows Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford), a detective who investigates a police sergeant's suicide and winds up on a personal quest for vengeance. When Bannion suspects foul play and is promptly taken off the case he defies his superiors and continues to pursue it on his own, leading to his wife's murder and setting Bannion off on a mission to nab the guys responsible.