One can't discuss 'Vicki' without mentioning its superior predecessor - I Wake Up Screaming. Not to say that Vicki is not a good film noir representative, but it liberally takes (scene after exact scene) without improvement or convincing alternate twist. The performances are adept - Jean Peters, as the model who gets killed; Jeanne Crain, as her misgiving sister; Craggy faced Richard Boone as Lt. Ed Cornell, Aaron Spelling though is no Elisha Cook Jr..... but each seem to do the best with Harry Horner's unremarkable direction. The plot is a far-fetched one but I still like the attempt - Supermodel Vicki Lynn, whose face is seen everywhere, is murdered, and ace homicide cop Ed Cornell cuts his vacation short to take the case personally. In flashback we see how Vicki rose from ambitious waitress to big black headlines, courtesy of clever publicity man Steve Christopher. Now Cornell seems determined to get Christopher convicted in what begins to seem like a bizarre personal vendetta. Is Steve caught like a rat in a trap? - Worthy, but perhaps, lesser noir.

Gary W. Tooze