Verhängnisvolle Spuren (1953)

Verhängnisvolle Spuren: Directed by Roy Ward Baker. With Robert Ryan, Rhonda Fleming, William Lundigan, Larry Keating. A tough, hard-driving business tycoon suffers a broken leg and is left to die in the desert by his scheming wife and her greedy lover.

“This is one of the few movies where Robert Ryan, a hard-driving, rich, and arrogant businessman, actually has the audienceu0026#39;s sympathy. The gorgeous Rhonda Fleming plays his conniving and faithless wife who ruthlessly strands him in the desert with a broken leg. And Ms. Fleming is all-too-convincing in the bad-girl role. The movie centers on Ryanu0026#39;s thoughts, feelings, and actions as he attempts to survive this nightmarish ordeal. For awhile, his revenge fantasies are the only things keeping him going, but things change. Carl Betz and Larry Keating are quite good in pithy supporting roles. And, the suspense keeps our interest throughout. The makers of Cast Away should have watched this a few times before making their exercise in ennui, also about finding the will to survive in almost impossible circumstances.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOnly one negative comment: William Lundigan is much too old and too refined as Flemingu0026#39;s lover-conspirator who gets a nasty attack of conscience late in the game. Someone rugged such as Rock Hudson (who was in his pre-Doris-Day days) or Lloyd Bridges, or even Chuck Connors would have been a much better choice.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat said, Inferno is a well-made and memorable film.”