Ask mother says the message scrawled in lipstick at a murder scene by an unknown serial killer who preys on women. It's a sensational story if it bleeds, it leads and a news conglomerate offers a big promotion to the high level company exec who solves the case. So begins the wheeling, dealing and backstabbing of the competing media hotshots as they vie to unmask the so called Lipstick Killer. Fritz Lang (The Big Heat), whose early career expressionist works would strongly influence the film-noir genre, directs this stylistically understated noir that features an abundance of star power rare for the genre: Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Ida Lupino and other notables.