Scarlet Street

Year: 1945

Grade: B

Country: USA

Director: Lang

Review

fritz lang produced this 1945 noir. it features edward g. robinson and dan duryea and both turn in solid performances. robinson plays a character similar to that played by ernest borgnine in marty – a socially awkward sympathetic middle-aged chubby guy. along comes a femme fatale and so begins the downward spiral which, inevitably, leads to murder. again, i think that the good film noirs are able to give the audience some hope that things will turn out well. this film does that. towards the end robinson’s character collapses because of the deceit of the femme fatale and it seems he’s destined for a life behind bars, but, through some luck and a twist of fate, dan duryea ends up taking the fall. from there the film becomes a morality tale about living with one’s bad deeds. robinson sells the character well through every change – he’s perfectly average at the beginning, he’s hopeful and sympathetic in the middle, and he’s dark and troubled in the end. it’s not amazing as a film noir, but it’s a solid film.