“Whoever opens this box will be turned into brimstone and ashes.”

Los Angeles private-eye Mike Hammer picks up a mysterious blonde at the side of the road, only to be beaten up by thugs who kidnap the girl, and send his car over a cliff. When the woman turns up dead, Mike investigates her murder aided by his faithful sidekicks, secretary Velda and mechanic Nick. However, things take a sinister turn when a suitcase – hot to the touch and containing a strange glowing substance that Velda calls “the great whatsit” – turns up.

Brilliantly directed by Robert Aldrich and based on Mickey Spillane’s bestselling novel of the same name, this classic filmplays upon Cold War fears of nuclear apocalypse: it’s perfect for those who like their noirs dark and nihilistic, their gumshoes hard-boiled and their blondes wearing nothing but a trench coat.