************************MILD SPOILERS AHEAD*****************************
Edward G. Robinson is a diligent and mild mannered cashier who begins to envy his boss who has affairs with beautiful women and seemingly lives the good life. One dark night, he comes to the rescue of an attractive but gold digging woman, Kitty (Joan Bennett), who really doesn't love him, but thinks he is a talented and rich painter. He permits her to believe this because he is smitten with her. While he falls hard for her, she and her conniving boyfriend, Dan Duryea, run a scam selling his paintings, which turn out to be valuable after all. Edward G. Robinson's character is blinded by love and when he is finally convinced that Kitty won't ever be his, he snaps! The results are shocking.
I've heard much about the famed director Fritz Lang, but this is his first film I've seen that I'm aware of, unless he directed the silent film Metropolis which it seems that he may have and which I didn't like all that well.
Anyway, this is a great film! It's a morality tale and sometimes morality gets twisted when the good character goes bad and the bad characters get more that they bargained for from someone they thought was an easy target. It's wonderfully directed by the aforementioned director Fritz Lang. The movie gets better and better as it progresses. By the end, this old movie had me in it's clutches. Extremely watchable and entertaining, the director put together some extraordinary cinematic moments which pack a punch and linger in your memory. I was amazed by Edward G. Robinson's performance in the scene where his boss fires him. The tears in his eyes and the look of shame and defeat on his face are unforgettable. Edgar G. Robinson delivers a near genius performance. Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea are no slouches either. The real applause, however, needs to go to the director for many marvelous touches in this film and for a powerful climax that will impact you.
I give this movie a 91/100. In my book, it's a classic or near classic film. Don't miss it!
Edward G. Robinson is a diligent and mild mannered cashier who begins to envy his boss who has affairs with beautiful women and seemingly lives the good life. One dark night, he comes to the rescue of an attractive but gold digging woman, Kitty (Joan Bennett), who really doesn't love him, but thinks he is a talented and rich painter. He permits her to believe this because he is smitten with her. While he falls hard for her, she and her conniving boyfriend, Dan Duryea, run a scam selling his paintings, which turn out to be valuable after all. Edward G. Robinson's character is blinded by love and when he is finally convinced that Kitty won't ever be his, he snaps! The results are shocking.
I've heard much about the famed director Fritz Lang, but this is his first film I've seen that I'm aware of, unless he directed the silent film Metropolis which it seems that he may have and which I didn't like all that well.
Anyway, this is a great film! It's a morality tale and sometimes morality gets twisted when the good character goes bad and the bad characters get more that they bargained for from someone they thought was an easy target. It's wonderfully directed by the aforementioned director Fritz Lang. The movie gets better and better as it progresses. By the end, this old movie had me in it's clutches. Extremely watchable and entertaining, the director put together some extraordinary cinematic moments which pack a punch and linger in your memory. I was amazed by Edward G. Robinson's performance in the scene where his boss fires him. The tears in his eyes and the look of shame and defeat on his face are unforgettable. Edgar G. Robinson delivers a near genius performance. Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea are no slouches either. The real applause, however, needs to go to the director for many marvelous touches in this film and for a powerful climax that will impact you.
I give this movie a 91/100. In my book, it's a classic or near classic film. Don't miss it!