One of the many Barcelona-based crime films which carefully navigated Franco’s censorship restrictions of the period, Antonio Santillán’s Senda torcida (US: Crooked Path) is a fairly standard noir tale in which a questionable woman encourages a vulnerable man to pursue a life of crime. After participating in an initial burglary, young, handsome Rafael Ruiz (Víctor Valverde) joins a gang of thieves led by the slick and ruthless Silvestre (Gérard Tichy) whose activities become increasingly dangerous and deadly. Soon enough, the men find themselves on the run from police, breaking into a clinic to treat their gunshot wounds, stealing a car, stealing a truck, robbing a bar, killing the innocent, and passing through forests and farms on their way to the French border. Marta Padovan plays Marcela, a chanteuse of sorts whose affections toward Rafael lead both of them to no good. Noir was long past its expressionist peak by now, but cinematographer Torres Garriga works magic with shadows in plenty of scenes, especially nighttime exteriors like narrow cobblestone streets, lumber yards, and the hustle and bustle of neon-lit downtown. Martínez Tudó’s eclectic score does the job, but some may find it a mismatch for certain scenes, detracting from the atmosphere rather than creating it.