The beautiful
structure is a broken marriage and its mirror, nightmarishly contracting into a
single scene that names the wife as Ninotchka (“Come here”).
The title has a
natural kinship with such film noir tales as Narrow Margin and Tight
Spot, the specific item in question here is closer to Impact or D.O.A.,
reduced to marriage per se as reflected in the con game beautifully
tendered by a high school sweetheart.
After this setup,
the hick police chief is framed for two murders investigated by his ex-wife, a
big-city homicide detective newly-promoted who emulates Pam Grier on the job.