The Naked Face

A patient of Dr. Judd Stevens is murdered after a session, stabbed while wearing the doctor's raincoat. Police detectives McGreavy and Angeli begin the investigation, though McGreavy's bitter resentment toward Stevens from a prior case complicates their process. The crime sets off a tense storm of accusations and suspicion around the psychiatrist.

Shortly after, Stevens' secretary is found brutally murdered, deepening the sense that someone is targeting the doctor. The investigation focuses on Stevens' personal problems and whether they relate to the killings. The detectives tighten their scrutiny as the pressure mounts.

Angeli complains about McGreavy's aggressive interrogation and reports him to a superior, resulting in McGreavy being removed from the case. Stevens' professionalism is questioned as the case grows more dangerous. The tension between investigators and the psychiatrist adds a paranoid tone to the pursuit.

Two gunmen pose as doormen and break into Stevens' apartment. He holds them off until his brother-in-law and two paramedics arrive, and he makes an emergency call to the hospital rather than rely on the police. The attack heightens the sense that Stevens is a marked man.

Stevens searches for help and hires the private investigator Morgens after selecting a name from the Yellow Pages. Morgens, who lives in a rundown apartment filled with clocks and cats, begins to play a pivotal role. He later proves his value by discovering a bomb hidden in Stevens' car, saving his life.

Morgens reports another threat and hints at knowing the killer's identity but refuses to reveal it over the phone. Angeli promises to be more sympathetic than her partner. The tension between outside help and police secrecy deepens the mystery.

McGreavy has secretly cut a deal with their captain to monitor the case from a distance rather than actively pursuing it. The rift between the detectives and Stevens widens as distrust deepens. The case becomes a game of hidden agendas.

During a midnight meeting at Navy Pier, Morgens calls Stevens and claims to know the killer's true identity, but warns that no one can be trusted, not even the police. They go to Navy Pier to confront him, only to discover Morgens's murdered body holding a cuckoo clock. The mystery turns deadly and personal.

Stevens learns that Don Vinton is a code name for the head of the crime syndicate. Angeli drives him to a countryside mansion where the phony doormen and secrets surround him. Angeli draws a gun and admits that she has been misled, telling Stevens that he trusted the wrong cop.

Stevens is taken to a crime boss's estate and discovers the mobster's wife, Ann Blake, a quiet patient who has been seeing him. Don Vinton insists on keeping his private business hidden, complicating Stevens's personal and professional life.

Stevens is led to a warehouse to be eliminated, but Angeli is killed when a payoff goes wrong. Stevens tries to escape, is recaptured, and is savagely beaten by the crime boss's men until McGreavy and a team of officers arrive, summoned by Ann Blake. Don Vinton is killed and the rest are arrested.

At the cemetery where he visits his wife's grave each week, Ann Blake arrives to apologize for the trouble caused and asks if they can see each other socially. Stevens has quit his private practice, offering a glimmer of normal life. The scene ends with Ann shot by a mob sniper as they prepare to leave together.