A film noir from 1956 starring Raymond Burr & Angela Lansbury. Reminiscent of Double Indemnity we have Burr, a lawyer (shades of Perry Mason), narrating the story into a tape recorder telling us what led him here. At the film's start he makes the calculated decision to let his best friend know his feelings for his wife, Lansbury, but instead of the atypical fistfight between bros his friend takes the information under advisement & leaves. When he turns up dead (Lansbury shoots him & claims self-defense), Burr steps up to the plate & defends her at trial even admitting his feelings for her which leads to her acquittal. During a celebration of the victory, a mutual friend interrupts the proceedings & produces a letter the murdered man left Burr which details Lansbury's duplicitous nature (she got married but still had had feelings for a struggling artist) so when he confronts both parties, Burr sets his mind on revenge which leads to a powerful denouement. Definitely a shoestring budget was utilized on this particular noir (the print I saw was dirty & had noticeable audio issues) but the singular through-line of a doomed affair of the heart is quite potent. Also starring Denver Pyle as a police detective & John Dehner as Burr's friend & prosecuting attorney.
Review of Please Murder Me!
