When rabid bigot Ray Biddle (Richard Widmark) and his brother Johnny (Dick Paxton) are admitted with gunshot wounds to the county hospital's prison ward, they balk at being treated by black physician Luther Brooks (Sidney Poitier, in his film debut). But the racial tension only escalates after the doctor performs a procedure meant to save Johnny's life -- and he dies on the operating table. The supporting cast includes Linda Darnell.

I think we're all pretty familiar with Richard Widmark playing the scum of the earth but he hits a new low with this character. In fact according to the back story by Eddie Muller this character was so unlike Widmark that he was embarrassed by all the nasty racial slurs he had to make so much so that Poitier had to tell him to not worry about offending him and to be true to the character. Honestly you could argue this isn't really noir but the script/story tells me it is even if it doesn't have all the photographic bells and whistles. While it won't take top honors as my favorite noir this is a damn fine film. oh there's some clunky bits but even those don't drag down the excellent acting and heavy duty anti-rascism message. I loved it.

So do you all think this is noir or not?