I, the Jury (1953), the first flick to feature Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, is a substandard Film Noir, but it has a Lot of Heart with Great Dialogue, an Engrossing Plot and requisite Bevy of Beautiful Dames.

Having Biff Elliot in the starring role of Mike Hammer is its most obvious flaw. You're immediate alarmed by the character's appearance, akin to a battered punch-drunk ex-boxer. One wonders if his appearance is due to post-traumatic stress, a victim of 'Shell Shock' from exposure to the horrors & brutality of war in the South Pacific. We get an idea of the savagery when he laments at the passing of his friend Jack Williams, a guy who literally gave his right arm for a friend when he caught a Japanese Bayonet that was meant for Hammer.

The blind loyalty displayed by Margaret Sheridan's characterization of Hammer's Assistant 'Velda' can be reasoned again by what happened to him in the South Pacific, feeling indebted to him for his sacrifice.

Is it the private hell he went through the reason the chemistry between Hammer and femme fatale Psychoanalyst Charlotte Manning (Peggie Castle) doesn't ever feel right? Whatever the reason, whenever she appears on screen Hammer isn't the only one being mesmerized by her!

There's a truckload of great moments from character actors practicing their craft. While each scene is not without random flaws, it's not the fault of the actors as they endeavor to showcase their performance range.

This is particularly true of Alan Reed. As his second entry into the Noir World, he performs the role of George Kalecki aka 'Mister Big'. In his case, direction of the camera never seems to be framed properly. However, Mr. Big's Emotional Relationship with his mobster lieutenant Hal Kines (Robert Cunningham) is decades ahead of its time! Previously in 1946, Reed got the tar beaten out of him by John Garfield in The Postman Always Rings Twice. He would return to the Noir Genre again with Humphrey Bogart in 1955's Desperate Hours.

Other notable character performances include: Preston Foster - Captain Pat Chambers, Elisha Cook, Jr. – Bobo, Nestor Paiva - Bartender Manuel, John Qualen - Veterinary Doctor R.H. Vickers

The film's Cinematographer, John Alton, worked on a dozen Noir Films of varying quality during 1947 to 1955, the most celebrated are those made with acclaimed Director Anthony Mann: T-Men (1947), Raw Deal (1948), He Walked by Night (1948) & Border Incident (1949).

There's a showdown of fisticuffs where Hammer is out-numbered and out-gunned, while Velda's life is held in the balance. The scene is set on a marble staircase of the interior court inside the legendary Bradbury Building containing Hammer's Office. Renowned for its unique architecture, the Bradbury has been featured for decades in motion pictures, television and music videos from as early as 1944. Its most famous use includes the films D.O.A (1950), Marlowe (1969), Chinatown (1974), as well as the Television Series 77 Sunset Strip, City of Angels and Banyon.

Those critical of this film should keep in mind that judging by the high quality of the promotional posters accompanying the film, it was being made for the lucrative Drive-In Market. It bears the similar qualities and short cuts utilized by Roger Corman during his turn at making movies for Drive-Ins during the 1950's.

To his credit, Biff Elliot does a good job at portraying the Private Investigator as brawny, physically tough with his fists and never shying away from violence. His performance displays the traits fans associate with Mickey Spillane's anti-hero: machismo, misogynist, sexist, unapologetic and politically incorrect. He's a solitary hard-boiled sleuth, who's impatient with the legal system and willing to avenge victims as Judge, Jury and Executioner.

The visual finale baring the physicality of Peggie Castle doesn't disappoint! But if you're expecting the suave sophistication of Sam Spade, you'll be sadly disappointed; instead you'll get a metaphor of a brutal garbage man who's come to take out the trash!!!

****SPOILERS*** Based on the Mickey Spillane character from his book of the same name "I the Jury" introduced to the movie going public in film Noir black and white and 3D no less the very first glimpse at the Neanderthal like tough as nails private eye Mike Hammer,Biff Elliot, who shoots and beats his opponents brains out first and never bother to ask them any questions later. Since most if not all of them are in no physical condition to be able to answer them anyway. It's just before Christmas that Mike finds out that his good friend and army buddy the one armed Jack Williams, Robert Swanger, was found murdered in his Manhattan apartment. William an insurance investigator has been checking out a number of claims for missing or stolen jewelry at the time of his murder. Despite being told to stay out of the case by police Captain Pat Chambers, Preston Foster, Hammer has his own plans to find and bring to justice his good friend Jack Williams killer. Even if he has to turn the entire city as well as state of New York upside down in order to do it!

Hammer going on the contents of a collage yearbook given to him by Captain Chambers that was found in Williams apartment at the time of his murder gets the feeling that his killer was one of those students in the yearbook and tracks down everyone in it to find Williams killer. As for Williams fiancée Myrna Devlin, Frances Osborne, Hammer finds that she's holding something back in why Williams was murdered and the reasons behind it. And as it later turned out the collage yearbook did have the clue to who but also why and what were the reasons for Williams being knocked off. Hammer also tracks down psychoanalyst Doctor Charlotte Mannings, Peggie Castle, who was treating both Jack Williams and his fiancée Myrna Devlin for severe emotional problems in her clinic. It's Dr. Mannings who's also been secretly supplying Myrna a recovering drug addict with illegal drugs!

***SPOILERS**** Mike Hammer we also find out is being used by Captain Chambers as a battering ram to brake the Jack Williams murder case wide open without Hammer, who's too busy tearing up the whole place, actually knowing about it. What Williams found out about a secret jewelry smuggling operation that covered two continent's turned out to be his own death sentence. Now his friend Mike Hammer is determined to be the both judge and jury, thus the title of the movie "I the Jury, as well as executioner in having those who murdered him pay with their lives for it. Check out Film Nior veteran Elisha Cook Jr as the drunken department store Santa Clause "BoBo" who clues Mike Hammer into what were the reasons behind Jack Williams murder and what the mysterious collage yearbook had to do with it.