'Where Danger Lives' is a sometimes fascinating, sometimes annoying film-noir that is well worth seeing, especially for devotees of this genre. When it works, 'Where Danger Lives' is totally captivating. Several things keep it from being the total success that it should have been. Chief among these is the casting of Howard Hughes' 'discovery' Faith Domergue in the absolutely crucial role of the deranged femme fatale. The part calls for a woman with the kind of looks that grab a man by the eyeballs and won't let him go, and this Domergue has. But it also calls for an actress, someone who can play complicated scenes and who knows that there is nuance in everything, even scenes of intense drama, and here the actress is sorely lacking. The other flaws in the film come in Charles Bennett's screenplay, which stretches credibility in several places, brings in some attempted lightness at inappropriate times and doesn't make Robert Mitchum's character's action believable enough. However, Bennett balances this with some searingly intense sequences, some great explorations of noir themes and a journey into hell that is quite effective. Credit John Farrow's muscular, commanding direction with playing down the flaws and emphasizing the assets. He's aided by Nick Musuraca's explosively moody cinematography, which is invaluable. [Craig Butler, All Movie Guide]