Murder in Reverse?

Tom Masterick, a Limehouse stevedore, learns his wife has been having an affair with Fred Smith. The discovery unsettles him and sours his sense of family. He wrestles with betrayal before anything else happens.

Masterick confronts Fred Smith in a saloon bar after learning of the affair; the fight spills onto the street and escalates to a dangerous chase along the docks. The chase ends with Smith's apparent death when he falls from a crane, and there is no body found. Masterick proclaims his innocence as the chaos unfolds.

Despite his protestations, Masterick is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. The verdict is shaped by the lack of a body and the circumstantial evidence surrounding the case. His defense is unable to persuade the jury; his fate seems sealed.

The death sentence is commuted to 15 years in prison, but Masterick remains convinced that Smith is alive. He serves his time, maintaining his determination to clear his name and seek justice.

After his release, Masterick learns that his wife disappeared with Smith and that their daughter Jill was adopted by Sullivan, the newspaper editor. Sullivan fears that revealing the truth could harm Jill, who has no memory of her real parents. The seeds of Masterick's quest for truth are planted.

Jill, now involved with junior reporter Peter Rogers, grows up under the shadow of her father's case and comes to believe Masterick was unjustly accused. She remains unaware that Masterick is her real father. Sullivan hints at the danger of truth as he tries to shield Jill.

Masterick conducts his own investigation into Smith's fate, visiting old haunts and following leads. He locates his ex-wife living in poverty and learns where Smith can be found. She provides information, but reconciliation remains out of reach.

Masterick finds Smith running a public house and pretends not to be driven by revenge, duplicitously proposing a split of any compensation from the wrongful imprisonment. Smith agrees, setting the scene for an uneasy alliance and a shared plan for the future.

The pair visit Crossley, the prosecution barrister at Masterick's trial, now a judge, who is entertaining guests at a dinner party. Masterick explains that there has been a miscarriage of justice and that the true victim stands beside him. The judge refuses to intervene, citing time and legal technicalities.

Frustrated and desperate, Masterick fatally shoots Smith in front of the judge and his guests. He seeks revenge for Smith's failure to come forward during the trial, and the act paints justice and vengeance in a stark, personal light.

In the epilogue, Sullivan notes that Masterick cannot be convicted of murder since he has already served a prison sentence for it; the killing is described as 'murder in reverse.' The film closes with the suggestion that justice has been achieved, though at a terrible cost.