Sunday, May 04, 2003

The Woman in the Window (1944)

Generally regarded as a film-noir classic, about all this second-rate potboiler has going for it is a good performance by Edward G. Robinson and director Fritz Lang's usual visual brio. The script has a couple interesting ideas but does not expand very well upon them; the ending, reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz, is probably the last ending you'd expect to find on a moody crime drama and feels like a studio mandate. You've seen it all before and better besides.

Grade: C