Top notch and under-represented b-noir. Every character in this is memorable and fully drawn-out, with distinctive costumes and a unique personality. An excellent script that is able to make every henchman, villain, and cop a memorable character, even if they only have a few lines. The mise-en-scene helps to quite effectively accentuate the effect of such a varied cast of characters. Not only does everyone get a memorable line and a kooky personality, but they also get interesting outfits! I also, somehow, unexpectedly, found myself quite charmed and invested in the relationship between the heroine and her cop boyfriend. Probably just because Veronica Lake is absolutely smoking hot in this.
The script is really cool; it kinda made me think of a screwball comedy for its fast-paced barrage of period-specific slangy quips—the obvious comparison being His Girl Friday (1940). One memorable sequence is when Veronica Lake puts her hand on the thigh of the titular gun for hire, played by Alan Ladd, trying to flirt her way out of being held hostage, and he accuses her for trying to make him go soft. Bro, she’s trying to make you HARD!!!
(i’m putting this in my noir canon.)