I watched earlier this year...here is my review:
Geez, the lengths a guy will go to to keep sleeping with his sister.
So anyway, I’m admittedly not a noir person. I tend to find the characters/performances to be too artificial and mannered and the plots to be too cool and lacking in heart to really be engaging. A lot of the classic noir films strike me as quintessential style over substance. But not this one. Oh sure, the performances are still artificial and the plot a bit cool, but for some reason it works here in a way it doesn’t in so many others.
If I had a memory for specific shots (or if describing the shots didn’t provide spoilers), I could list a good number of incredible compositions here. I love the way the film depicts men who have gotten so drunk on their own sense of control over people and events that they begin to think nothing lies outside their control. It is a classic story of hubris. You have to be slightly impressed by their craft while of course finding them detestable, and it is a credit to Lancaster and Curtis that they strike the right balance.
Some of my broader genre concerns hold me back from treasuring this as a potential top-150 film but it certainly is one of the best noir films I’ve seen so I’d understand how those more appreciative of the genre would place it high.
4/5