This remake of the 1946 movie of the same name accounts an affair between a seedy drifter and a seductive wife of a roadside cafe owner. This begins a chain of events that culminates in murder. Based on a novel by James M. Cain.

Nick Smith, a middle-aged roadside diner owner, hires a drifter, Frank Chambers, to work at his restaurant. Frank quickly begins an affair with Nick’s beautiful young wife, Cora, and the two conspire to kill Nick and seize his assets. When they succeed, local prosecutor Kyle Sackett becomes suspicious, but is unable to build a solid case. However, the couple soon realizes that no misdeed ever goes truly unpunished.

The feature-film debut of famed director Louis Malle is an interesting, modern film noir with the classic theme of lovers plotting to kill the husband and make it look like suicide (reminiscent of The Postman Always Rings Twice). Jeanne Moreau gives an astonishing performance, perverse but naive as she leads her young lover down a path that can only lead to doom for both of them.