I never knew a crooked road could look so straight. The Bribe is directed by Robert Z. Leonard, with a script from Marguerite Roberts. It features Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, Vincent Price and John Hodiak in the leading roles. The score comes from Miklós Rózsa and Joseph Ruttenberg handled the cinematography. Federal agent Rigby (Taylor) is sent to Carlotta Island to look into illegal activity involving war surplus aircraft parts. He soon discovers that the heat isn’t just coming from the climate... Frustrating! Coming from MGM, The Bribe attempts a lot more than it can manage. You've got a cast that will either make you swoon or cause you to boo, but it’s hampered by cheap production values relying on the actors and impressive technical credits. It seems the studio poured all of its resources into securing talent, including a well-known composer and cinematographer. When viewed as an actual project, it's slow going, unnecessarily complicated, and frankly quite boring. It isn’t surprising to learn that Taylor himself considered this one of his worst films! Everything feels artificial, from the obvious rear projection and scenes taken from somewhere else, to the backlot set which bears about as much resemblance to a tropical island as an igloo does. What works well is Ruttenberg's photography, particularly the striking contrasts and shadows – the use of light is remarkable. Taylor’s understated narration also helps keep you engaged; these are the reasons it has appeared in some film noir collections. Gardner and Taylor share undeniable chemistry, their on-screen romance apparently mirroring a real-life affair that upset Barbara Stanwyck. Laughton spends much of his time sweating and limping while portraying someone shady as respectable, Price delivers the classic mustache-twirling villainy he excelled at, and Hodiak brings genuine emotion to the role of a man struggling with everything in his life. People who enjoy these actors will likely find it worthwhile, but ultimately this feels like a missed chance. It didn't do well financially, and it’s easy to understand why – even though there are some good film noir elements present. 5.5/10

Source on TMDB