We see Lincoln less as the noble hero and more as the wise-cracking politician here, and the broken man beneath that half-smiling exterior, crooked under the weight of tragedy and responsibility that sit upon his shoulders.

FORBES: Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' Lives Up To The Hype

Weingarten represented the man Time magazine named one of the most crooked CEOs of all time.

FORBES: Goldman Sachs CEO Lawyers Up Amid DOJ Investigation

Directed with laudable economy by Stuart Heisler from a crisp screenplay by Jonathan Latimer, the movie centers on two good friends the crooked political kingmaker Paul Madvig (a slick but sympathetic Brian Donlevy) and his steady right-hand man, Ed Beaumont (the blond and angular Ladd) who grow apart over the former's infatuation with the spirited Janet Henry (the sultry Lake) and his impulsive support for her reformer-candidate father.

WSJ: Dark Crimes: Film Noir Thrillers