In his breakout role, Sidney Poitier stars as Dr. Luther Potter, the first African American doctor at his hospital. Working on the prison ward, Luther must care for racist criminal Ray Biddle (Widmark) and his brother when they are brought in after a robbery gone wrong. The brother dies and Luther finds himself at the center of an explosive situation. One that only grows more dangerous as time goes on and the vengeful Ray becomes more and more unhinged. This racially-charged film noir classic announced Poitier as an acting legend practically right out of the gate.

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