Scarlet Street

Directed by Fritz Lang, Scarlet Street follows Edward G. Robinson’s Christopher Cross as he becomes infatuated with a younger woman (Joan Bennett’s Kitty) and subsequently finds himself going to extreme lengths to win her over. Lang, armed with Dudley Nichols’ screenplay, delivers a watchable yet thoroughly erratic endeavor that benefits from its raft of appealing performances, as Robinson offers up predictably commanding, charismatic work that goes a long way towards smoothing over the narrative’s bumps and lulls – with the actor’s sterling efforts matched by Bennett and a scene-stealing Dan Duryea. (The latter turn as the movie’s smarmy villain remains a highlight, to be sure.) And although the picture’s midsection contains a number of engrossing sequences, including an electrifying confrontation between Robinson and Bennett’s respective characters, Scarlet Street, despite Lang’s stylish, noir-like approach, does suffer from a hit-and-miss atmosphere that stems primarily from its myriad of seemingly disparate plot threads (ie there’s not much in the way of forward momentum, ultimately) – which, when coupled with a decidedly anticlimactic final few minutes, cements the picture’s place as a woefully uneven piece of work that feels like it should be much, much better.

**1/2 out of ****