The Woman in the Window

Directed by Fritz Lang, The Woman in the Window follows Edward G. Robinson’s mild-mannered Richard Wanley as he’s drawn into a world of crime after a deadly encounter with Joan Bennett’s Alice Reed. It’s familiar subject matter that’s employed to slightly erratic yet mostly satisfying effect by Lang, as the filmmaker, working from Nunnally Johnson’s screenplay, delivers an atmospheric endeavor that benefits substantially from Robinson’s convincing and completely captivating performance – with the actor’s subtle, engrossing efforts matched by Bennett and certain other top-notch periphery players. (Dan Duryea’s predictably scene-stealing turn as a seriously sketchy figure remains an ongoing highlight within the proceedings, to be sure.) There’s little doubt, ultimately, that the picture is at its best in the tense, nail-biting stretch wherein Richard attempts to cover his tracks after said deadly encounter (ie the screws tighten considerably as things unfold), and although the movie’s second half is comparatively a little on the disappointing side, particularly as it adopts the stagy feel of a filmed play, The Woman in the Window builds towards a heck of a twist ending that ensures it finishes on a rather memorable note – with the end result a solid film noir that probably should’ve topped out at 80 minutes.

*** out of ****