Edward G Robinson and Joan Bennett star in this film directed by Fritz Lang, one of Hollywood's best directors, in my opinion. While his family is out of town, a college professor (played by Robinson) becomes enamored with the woman who posed for a painting in a store window. One night, he actually meets the woman and spends the evening with her, but then he becomes involved in the murder of another man.
This film could be a classic noir from 1944. I say "could be" because I'm not even sure what that means. All I know is that this is a good mystery film. The mystery isn't about who is responsible for the murder, but it's just to see if the culprits get away with it. Maybe that's what makes it a noir.
In general, this film is worthy of your time if you enjoy this kind of story, or if you are a fan of Edward G Robinson's work. Joan Bennet does a good job, though I honestly think her part could have been played better by a few other actresses. The supporting cast also performs well in their roles. Overall, I would recommend this movie.
***** Possible spoilers below *****
Having said that, I personally would rate this movie a lot higher without the ending. For the first 94 minutes, the film is very good. The scenes are set up well, the editing is great, and the mystery and suspense are done very well. We know who committed the crime and we know why, but we don't know the victim. Eventually, we know the detective knows who committed the crime, but he's just waiting to see if the culprit will come clean on his own.
But the ending is a complete let-down. In my opinion, it's bad enough to drop this movie down at least a couple of points. If the movie had ended about 5 minutes earlier, I would have easily rated this movie an 8, and possibly a 9. With the ending as is, I can't rate this film higher than 6. I think it's pretty sad, because this is a great film otherwise. The ending just ruins it.
This film could be a classic noir from 1944. I say "could be" because I'm not even sure what that means. All I know is that this is a good mystery film. The mystery isn't about who is responsible for the murder, but it's just to see if the culprits get away with it. Maybe that's what makes it a noir.
In general, this film is worthy of your time if you enjoy this kind of story, or if you are a fan of Edward G Robinson's work. Joan Bennet does a good job, though I honestly think her part could have been played better by a few other actresses. The supporting cast also performs well in their roles. Overall, I would recommend this movie.
***** Possible spoilers below *****
Having said that, I personally would rate this movie a lot higher without the ending. For the first 94 minutes, the film is very good. The scenes are set up well, the editing is great, and the mystery and suspense are done very well. We know who committed the crime and we know why, but we don't know the victim. Eventually, we know the detective knows who committed the crime, but he's just waiting to see if the culprit will come clean on his own.
But the ending is a complete let-down. In my opinion, it's bad enough to drop this movie down at least a couple of points. If the movie had ended about 5 minutes earlier, I would have easily rated this movie an 8, and possibly a 9. With the ending as is, I can't rate this film higher than 6. I think it's pretty sad, because this is a great film otherwise. The ending just ruins it.