The Big Clock

George Stroud is eager to begin his long-postponed honeymoon, but Janoth fires him for refusing to stay on a missing-person story. The dismissal severs his professional stability and sets in motion his entanglement with Janoth’s power. The loss also foreshadows the dangerous game he is about to play.

In a bar, Pauline York flirts with Stroud and pitches a blackmail scheme against Janoth. She reasons they could leverage the boss’s personal indiscretions to gain influence. Stroud weighs the risk, aware it could drag him further into crime.

Stroud loses track of time and misses the train to Wheeling, leaving Georgette furious. She departs with their son, and Stroud spends the evening drinking with York. He also buys a painting and a sundial, symbols that recur later in the plot.

Stroud accompanies York to her apartment, but York sees Janoth approaching and Stroud escapes. Janoth misreads the situation as York’s infidelity and strikes her with the sundial, killing her. The murder sets the stage for a calculated cover-up.

Janoth plans to surrender to the police, but Hagen persuades him to frame the seen departure as the killer instead. They decide to exploit Crimeways to identify the culprit without admitting guilt. The plan binds the newspaper’s power to a manufactured manhunt.

Stroud has joined his wife and son in Wheeling and reveals he was fired, keeping York’s affair quiet. Janoth calls to rehire him to lead the manhunt, offering him his old position back. Stroud agrees, though Georgette is disappointed by the turn of events.

Back in New York, Janoth drops enough hints for Stroud to realize the mystery man is himself. Stroud reluctantly accepts the assignment to direct the investigation while secretly planning to prove Janoth is guilty. Georgette remains wary of the dangerous path they are on.

Stroud must appear to run the investigation diligently while quietly pursuing his own inquiry. He balances the pressure of public accountability with his private push to uncover the truth about York’s death. The hunt tightens as investigators close material and witness gaps.

York is identified by Crimeways, and witnesses who saw her with the mystery man are tracked to the Janoth Building. Louise Patterson, an eccentric painter who created the painting Stroud bought, is among those present and offers a modern portrait that becomes a clue. The investigators assemble the testimonies to piece together the case.

A witness spots Stroud and identifies him as the mystery man. With all exits sealed, the building’s occupants are forced to leave only through the main door while witnesses watch for the culprit. Security sweeps advance, tightening the net around him.

As the net closes, Stroud slips toward the big clock and hides within its inner mechanism. He uses the clock as cover to observe and maneuver, preparing a final move against Janoth and Hagen. The confrontation becomes a battle of wits and nerve inside the clock’s shadow.

Stroud presents evidence that points to Hagen as the killer, forcing Hagen to reveal Janoth’s true role. Janoth shoots Hagen when confronted, and tries to escape in an elevator, only for the car to jam. Janoth plummets to his death, ending his tyranny and the conspiracy.