In a town this bad, it's no use being good.
After being released from prison on a bum charge, Harry Barber is out for payback to regain his lost two years. He's hired by Mrs. Malroux to fake the kidnapping of her stepdaughter (the daughter of a dying millionaire). He discovers that he is being set up on multiple levels and will soon face a longer sentence if he doesn't prove the truth.
based on novel or book
kidnapping
cigarette
femme fatale
scam
writer
framed for a crime
set up
temptation
newspaper reporter
ransom demand
rich daughter
neo-noir
rich wife
investigative reporter
sucker
kidnapping gone wrong