Review of The Lady from Shanghai (1947) by Will G — 05 Oct 2007

For some reason, I had seen only the first half of this film, several years ago. When I was in Denver recently, I got the chance to watch the rest. It's tense, stylish -- dare I say sexy? Orson Welles was always a genius as director (perhaps the most talented American director ever), but his acting was hit and miss.

In this film, his acting is decent, but his accent is awful. However, great performances by Rita Hayworth and Everett Sloane, and brilliant experiments in cinematography and set design make this psychological murder/court drama one to watch! Though it's imperfect, I couldn't imagine giving a film like this less than 4 stars.