Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

arthur_tafero Howard Duff and Ida Lupino were one of the more talented teams in Hollywood history. This film does not really show their unique talents; especially those of Lupino, who was one of the smartest women in Hollywood at the time. A good-looking woman with great writing talent is not a common occurrence. There is a nice turn by Steve Cochran as well.This is not pure noir; it really isn't that dark, but it is an interesting plot. Any cop recovering a ton of money would have to be tempted to dip into the cash. This is a nice, small, gritty film that highlights the future potential of both Duff and Lupino. She was truly a gifted actress and writer.

st-shot Steve Cochran gets into Lawrence Tierney land as a dirty cop in Private Hell 36. It is a precipitous fall that takes him from courageous hero to corrupt villain as he commits a myriad of crimes and capital sins in under 90 minutes.Plagued by lack of cash flow detectives Bruner (Steve Cochran) and Farnham (Howard Duff) go dirty by skimming off the top some stolen cash recovered from a dead robber. Farnham has his doubts but instigator Bruner is all in and once the die is cast there is no turning back. Farnham the family man continues to doubt while Bruner, bewitched by cynical cabaret singer, Lili Marlowe dreams of la dolce vita. A skeptical captain (Dean Jagger) remains suspicious.Shot with the customary economical and crafts manlike style of Don Siegel it lags at moments (race track scenes in particular) but still moves with his customary briskness in advancing the story like his The Line-Up with a brutal well edited opening. All three of his leads are deeply flawed and far from sympathetic but interesting to follow, especially Cochran who dominates the picture with disturbing conviction. Lupino (who also co- writes the script) has the right look and sound of a lounge lizard climber while Duff who goes into guilt early and remains there plays it macho smarmy.The story remains thin with some superfluous filler along the way but with Siegel touching things up "Hell" makes the best of the little it has.

JohnWelles "Private Hell 36" (1954), directed by Don Siegel, is tough little film noir starring a reliable cast of familiar faces for film buffs: Ida Lupino, Steve Cochran, Dean Jagger, Dorothy Malone and Howard Duff.The plot isn't anything particularly special: two cops (Cochran and Duff) decide to take thousands of dollars from the suitcase of a dead counterfeiter and hid it in a trailer park. But then Cochran starts suffering with his conscience… The opening scene is the best when Steve Cochran stumbles onto a drug store robbery late night. Burnett Guffey's agile camera surveys the action with a cool calm and helps put everything into perspective. The jazz soundtrack composed by Leith Stevens purrs along nicely, as does Don Siegel's direction, which is far from his finest hour but still holds the viewer interested in the events portrayed. The acting, on the main, is good, especially Ida Lupino as a singer cop Howard Duff falls fall. This isn't a shining example of the film noir genre but it passes the time pleasantly enough.

Martin Bradley This taut, low-key and highly effective B-movie film noir was an early example of a style that director Don Siegel came to perfect in his later films. Although dealing with robbery and murder it's at its most effective in the small scenes of domesticity between the central characters, a crooked cop, his partner and the women they are both involved with and there are good performances from Steve Cochran, Howard Duff, Ida Lupino and Dorothy Malone in these roles. (Lupino co-wrote the movie with producer Collier Young). Excitement is generated from not knowing exactly which way the characters might go and from the degree of complexity that both the players and writers invest them with. The denouement is a bit of let-down, however, with things tidied up too quickly and too neatly. Still, it's a commendable effort.