Dennis O’Brien (Dennis O’Keefe) and Tony Genaro (Alfred Ryder) are Treasury agents (“T-Men”) who go undercover in Detroit and then Los Angeles, in an attempt to break a US currency counterfeiting ring.

Best known for his classic westerns like Winchester ’73, Anthony Mann learned his chops making B-movies, culminating in a series of lean, gripping thrillers shot in glorious pools of black and white, with masterful use of light and shadow, by legendary cinematographer John Alton.