Review of Witness for the Prosecution (1957) by Art S — 02 May 2014

I remembered watching this movie when I was young, after a discussion I had with my amazing co-host, Katie, about Agatha Christie books. I decided to see if I could find it on Amazon Prime and sure enough it was there. It's based off an Agatha Christie play, which in turn is based off a short story she wrote. This movie and the short story are some of my favorite works of Dame Christie. I wanted to watch it again to see if it held up to my memory. In short, it very much does.

This was released in 1957 and is in that glorious black and white. I know some people might have issues with older movies like this but I hope they won't let that get in the way of watching this movie. It feels very much like watching a play, rather than the modern action thriller. There really isn't much in the way of cinematography or sharp camera angles, rather just a straight on viewing of the actors acting. This is where the movie shines, the actors made me feel and believe in their stories. I managed to get a feel for the depth of their history from just a few brief snatches of dialogues. This brings us to the writing. The characters and the plot move at an excellent pace, building suspense and intrigue. I couldn't help but stay focused watching the movie play out, even though I had seen it previously and remembered how it ended.

I'll keep my review on this short for if I keep talking about it, I will end up speaking to parts of the movie I shouldn't. If you enjoy a good suspense tied with legal drama and a dash of mystery then you'll want to see this.

Verdict: Recommended.