In retrospect, "Stranger On The Third Floor" could be seen as a bridge between the German Expressionist films of earlier years and the series of movies which is now recognised as the film noirs of the classic period. Considering its low budget, B-movie status and short duration, it certainly packs a punch with its impressive nightmare sequence which makes a powerful statement about the casual lack of concern that the legal system and the public show for fellow human beings who are treated unfairly and wrongly punished for crimes they did not commit. The fear, alienation and paranoia which follow as a consequence of this phenomenon are also themes which are effectively depicted in a very memorable and visually stylish manner.
Newspaper reporter Mike Ward (John McGuire) is required to give evidence at a murder trial and his testimony is instrumental in Joe Briggs (Elisha Cook Jnr.) being convicted for the crime. Briggs' desperate screams that he's innocent are ignored and he's sentenced to be executed in the electric chair.
Mike's first hand involvement in the trial gives him his big break and a pay rise which provides him with the money he needs to move into a decent apartment and marry his girlfriend Jane (Margaret Tallichet). His normally cheerful frame of mind alters however, when Jane expresses her grave doubts about the outcome of the trial and he starts to reflect more deeply on the circumstantial nature of the evidence that was sufficient to secure the conviction on such a serious charge. He becomes increasingly haunted by what has happened and after a second murder is committed, to his horror, finds himself implicated as the perpetrator, again by an accumulation of purely circumstantial evidence. His ordeal is eventually ended, but only after Jane's determination leads her to a man simply known as "The Stranger" (Peter Lorre).
Mike who'd unwittingly been a part of a perfunctory process which resulted in the conviction of an innocent man, initially had no concerns about the matter but discovered another side to his own personality when the interference of an intolerant, narrow minded neighbour provoked feelings in him which led him to ask a friend "did you ever want to kill a man?" to which his friend replied, "my son, there's murder in every intelligent man's heart". Like Briggs, Mike suffered the anguish of being a victim of the system and interestingly, because of his insanity, the real murderer is also seen as a victim because when Jane asked him why certain people wanted to lock him up, he replied "so they can hurt me, they put you in a shirt with long sleeves and they pour ice water on you".
This movie is both entertaining and thought provoking and features particularly good performances by Elisha Cook Jnr. and Peter Lorre.
Newspaper reporter Mike Ward (John McGuire) is required to give evidence at a murder trial and his testimony is instrumental in Joe Briggs (Elisha Cook Jnr.) being convicted for the crime. Briggs' desperate screams that he's innocent are ignored and he's sentenced to be executed in the electric chair.
Mike's first hand involvement in the trial gives him his big break and a pay rise which provides him with the money he needs to move into a decent apartment and marry his girlfriend Jane (Margaret Tallichet). His normally cheerful frame of mind alters however, when Jane expresses her grave doubts about the outcome of the trial and he starts to reflect more deeply on the circumstantial nature of the evidence that was sufficient to secure the conviction on such a serious charge. He becomes increasingly haunted by what has happened and after a second murder is committed, to his horror, finds himself implicated as the perpetrator, again by an accumulation of purely circumstantial evidence. His ordeal is eventually ended, but only after Jane's determination leads her to a man simply known as "The Stranger" (Peter Lorre).
Mike who'd unwittingly been a part of a perfunctory process which resulted in the conviction of an innocent man, initially had no concerns about the matter but discovered another side to his own personality when the interference of an intolerant, narrow minded neighbour provoked feelings in him which led him to ask a friend "did you ever want to kill a man?" to which his friend replied, "my son, there's murder in every intelligent man's heart". Like Briggs, Mike suffered the anguish of being a victim of the system and interestingly, because of his insanity, the real murderer is also seen as a victim because when Jane asked him why certain people wanted to lock him up, he replied "so they can hurt me, they put you in a shirt with long sleeves and they pour ice water on you".
This movie is both entertaining and thought provoking and features particularly good performances by Elisha Cook Jnr. and Peter Lorre.