Laundry and Liquidation. Walk a Crooked Mile comes from director Gordon Douglas and features a screenplay by George Bruce, based on a story by Bertram Millhauser. The cast includes Louis Hayward, Dennis O'Keefe, Louise Albritton, Carl Esmond, Onslow Stevens, and Raymond Burr. Paul Sawtell composed the music, with cinematography handled by George Robinson. The film follows a Scotland Yard detective and an FBI agent as they look into what appears to be a spy network operating within a highly secure Nuclear Physics center. To appreciate it properly, you need some understanding of the time when movies like this were made—a period marked by The HUAC investigations and Cold War anxieties, when Hollywood itself was being examined to identify alleged communist influences. Director Gordon Douglas delivers solid work in a style that resembles a documentary – complete with Reed Hadley’s formal narration – resulting in a pretty good spy thriller. J. Edgar Hoover intervened to make sure the portrayal of the FBI wouldn't be compromised, and this actually adds something positive to the film, as does the excellent location filming in San Francisco. The cinematography by Robinson is well done in a noir style, making you wish he’d worked more often on films like it. Performances are perfectly acceptable, with Burr once again demonstrating his ability to portray a menacing character in 1948. The story itself has its ups and downs; the fear of communism is portrayed effectively, but there's also a subtle undercurrent of anxiety about the scientists themselves. There’s an impressive sequence that connects events to Nazism, featuring a landlady who commands attention for maximum effect, and the torture scene and eventual shootout are suitably dramatic. It isn't essential viewing among Cold War/spy ring movies, but it is entertaining and well-produced enough to keep it above average. 6/10

Source on TMDB