The reviews are uniformly positive, with praise clustering around John Huston’s direction, the tightly organised heist plot and the attention paid to the criminals as people. Most critics find the mechanics of the crime compelling without treating the gang’s private hopes and weaknesses as incidental. The handling of space, suspense and underworld realism also draws praise. Radio Times singles out Sam Jaffe’s performance as the criminal mastermind alongside the plot’s grip.
The differences are chiefly in the strength of the enthusiasm, rather than in any stated objections. Empire offers the most restrained assessment, but still praises the tight plotting and characters made human by their weaknesses. None of these summaries identifies a substantial flaw. The consensus accommodates both admiration for an influential crime thriller and appreciation of its sympathetic, unsentimental treatment of people driven by desire.