An update of the Dostoyevsky novel from 19th-century St. Petersburg to 1959 Santa Monica. Raskolnikov has been changed to Robert Cole (played by George Hamilton in his first screen credit), a law student. His nemesis is Lieutenant Porter of the Santa Monica Police Department, played by
Silvera. Hamilton murders a pawnbroker because he fears that his school tuition is driving his sister, Seldes, to marry a man she does not love for his money. Silvera suspects Hamilton even after someone else has confessed to the crime, his instincts telling him Hamilton will eventually confess
the crime. The film seems to work in a way that Dostoyevsky would have approved.
Released:
1959
Rated:
NR
Length:
96 mins