I would not put it up there with Welles’ very best, but it is quite good. Welles wanted to show he could make a film exactly the way the studio wanted.
I agree. It’s not The Third Man, or Touch of Evil, but it’s a very good film. I do get the sense that Welles was under pressure to give equal screen time to all of the principals involved, which is probably why the last leg of the film is so heavily focused on Loretta Young, etc.
It’s a 7/10 flick for me, with Third Man being 8.5-9/10.