(NOIR) The Reckless Moment - 1949 ***

I actually thought this was a very mediocre film. It was slow and nothing much seemed to happen until the last few minutes which resulted in a bizarre and slightly over-the-top climax. Joan Bennett was very frumpy and I found her performance to be less than average. James Mason as the blackmailer turned good guy was about the only saving grace of the whole thing. A jumbled mistake that I wish I hadn't watched.

(NOIR) Woman in the Window - 1944 **** 1/2

A stunning offering from Fritz Lang starring the amazing Edward G. Robinson and the gorgeous Joan Bennett.

Robinson plays a professor named Richard who leads a comfortable yet uninteresting life with his wife and children. One evening he notices a beautiful portrait in a window opposite the men's club where he spent time with his friends. While staring at it he turns and comes face to face with the subject of the portrait, the glamourous woman who posed for it, and he soon finds out that his life will never be quiet and comfortable again.

I thought the ending was excellent and I really wasn't expecting it. This is what makes such a brilliant film noir; the shadows on the walls, the sultry woman, the shady bad guys and the subtly witty dialogue. They really don't make them like this anymore. They really had to act then. I'm happy to tick this off my list and I'm sure it will be a film I will be revisiting. Fritz Lang is a god. You know that anything with his name on has the sealed stamp of approval.