If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

This is an astonishing documentary that will wring your heart while it bends your mind

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Taut thriller about a crime magazine editor (Ray Milland) trying to stay one step ahead of being framed for murder by his tyrannical boss (Charles Laughton). Ray Milland is great but it's scenery-chewing Charles Laughton that is the most memorable part of this movie. George Macready plays Laughton's crony and partner-in-crime. Rita Johnson is fantastic as Laughton's mistress. Elsa Lanchester has a small but amusing part that she makes the most of. Harry Morgan appears in an early role as a "problem solver" for Laughton. This was Maureen O'Sullivan's first movie in five years and her first non-Tarzan movie in seven. Director John Farrow was also her husband at the time so I'm sure that had something to do with her returning to the screen.A tightly paced film with a great script. Fine direction from Farrow. It was remade in 1987 as No Way Out, which isn't a bad movie itself. Thankfully it isn't a direct copy but a reworking of the original story. Both the remake and this original have wonderful (and completely different) endings. This is definitely one you'll want to check out if you're a fan of film noir or thrillers from the '40s.

Poor Harry Morgan. Do you think he was as repulsed as he looked giving Charles Laughton a massage, sinking his hands into that fat squishy body? I don't know, that scene just really creeped me out. And then I thought about Elsa Lanchester doing it for real in the privacy of their own home, seeing as how they were married to each other. Man, I just got a shiver up my spine.Anyway, this is a neat little thriller, even if it's not a mystery once we see the murder committed by Laughton's character. That's when the fun starts as Ray Milland must use all of his wits to track down the killer as all the circumstantial evidence points to himself, even before anyone knows there's a dead body to be found. The film makes good use of eccentric characters portrayed by Lanchester, Morgan, Lloyd Corrigan, and George Macready, with the story taking some clever twists and turns on it's way to a satisfying conclusion.Actually, the ending struck me as just a bit haphazard, seeing as how the picture borrowed from any number of B Westerns of the preceding era. How many times have you seen the villain attempt to frame the innocent hero of the story, only to shoot the character that threatens to expose the real guilty party in front of witnesses. How does the baddie think he'll ever get away with it? Fortunately, the hero comes through as he did here, while the the real killer inevitably gets the shaft.

I give this film a "7", though it was a temptation to give it an "8", but a "7" is my highest rating, unless we are talking one of the great films of all time. And this film is not that, but it is darned good.It is darned good because it is darned different. I can't think of another film that is at all like it (except perhaps the recent remake). It's a rather unique plot with a unique character (Charles Laughton) and a unique setting.The story begins via flashback. As it unfolds, Ray Milland's character (editor-in-chief of a crime magazine) inadvertently gets tied into a murder of a woman he met...who just happened to be the girlfriend of the magazine's's owner (Charles Laughton) -- a real sleaze bag...and the real killer! All the cards are stacked against Milland, however, and his desperate task is to clear himself and implicate the real murdered (whom he thinks is Laughton's assistant). What happens in between all this is clever and different, with a host of odd characters.Milland, whom I've come to respect more lately as I've seen some films of his of which I was not previously aware, is excellent here. So is Charles Laughton, although this is another role of Laughton's where we love despising him. And incidentally, Laughton's mustache here may be one of the worst in any film in cinema history! The other main character is Maureen O'Sullivan as Milland's wife, though this is quite a step down from her as she plains a supporting, rather than a starring role. You'll recognize quite a few other characters, though none is memorable, despite each being key to the plot.The ending is a total surprise, although it happens just a tad too quickly to savor.That's all not to say that there aren't some problems here. We all have had jobs we don't like. Why exactly are this husband and wife so thrilled to be without and income? At 58 minutes into the film you can clearly see the shadow of the boom mic. Why are Elsa Lanchester's children from 3 different marriages all approximately the same age?Nevertheless, this may very well be one for your DVD shelf!

George Stroud (Ray Milland) is a successful reporter at a magazine run by tyrannical Earl Janoth (Charles Laughton). Earl accidentally kills his wife but frames George for it (sort of). There's LOTS more going on but I wouldn't dream of spoiling it for potential viewers.Exceptional film noir. The script has many twists and turns and lots of rapid fire one liners that keep moving things along at a brisk pace. It's also filmed mostly in dark places or with darkness lurking within the picture--very appropriate for film noir. There's some stunning sets here too--it looks like this was made on a big budget. The acting is good too. Milland is excellent as a completely innocent man who gets caught up in the murder. You can see him fighting to control his fear and anger as things get worse and worse. Laughton, surprisingly, is just OK. He has a small beard which looks pretty stupid on him and seems ill at ease with the role. He's not terrible but he can do much better. In a small role is Elsa Lancaster (Laughton's wife) who is hilarious. This is one of the rare films where the humor mixes perfectly with the mystery. Also on hand is the then unknown Harry Morgan--who doesn't have a word of dialogue but conveys all his emotions through body language and looks on his face.This was remade in the 1980s as "No Way Out". That's not a bad movie but it can't hold a candle to this. This seems to be hard to find for some reason but it's well worth seeking out. Recommended.