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The Lady from Shanghai

The Lady from Shanghai

Mystery · Crime · Thriller · 1947

A romantic drifter gets caught between a corrupt tycoon and his voluptuous wife.

Movie details

The Lady from Shanghai

“I told you... you know nothing about wickedness”

1947 Mystery · Crime · Thriller 1h 27m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.3 / 10

Community rating

A romantic drifter gets caught between a corrupt tycoon and his voluptuous wife.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Lady from Shanghai?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Verdict

The Verdict

Crime · 1946

After an innocent man is executed in a case he was responsible for, a Scotland Yard superintendent finds himself investigating the murder of his key witness.

House of Strangers

House of Strangers

Drama · 1949

Ruthless Italian-American banker Gino Monetti is engaged in a number of criminal activities. Three of his four grown sons refuse to help their father stay out of prison after he's arrested for his questionable business practices. Three of them take over the business but kick their father out. Max, a lawyer, is the only son that remains loyal.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Crime · 1950

A police detective's violent nature keeps him from being a good cop.

Thieves' Highway

Thieves' Highway

Drama · 1949

Nick Garcos comes back from his tour of duty in World War II planning to settle down with his girlfriend, Polly Faber. He learns, however, that his father was recently beaten and burglarized by mob-connected trucker Mike Figlia, and Nick resolves to get even. He partners with prostitute Rica, and together they go after Mike, all the while getting pulled further into the local crime underworld.

Brute Force

Brute Force

Crime · 1947

Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?

Pushover

Pushover

Crime · 1954

A police detective falls for the bank robber's girlfriend he is supposed to be tailing.

The Rainmaker

The Rainmaker

Drama · 1997

Fresh out of law school and desperate for work, idealistic rookie Rudy Baylor takes on a powerful insurance company accused of denying a dying boy’s claim. Teaming up with a scrappy, unlicensed paralegal, he finds himself in a David-versus-Goliath courtroom battle that tests his ethics, courage, and belief in justice.

Stillwater

Stillwater

Drama · 2021

Bill Baker, an American oil-rig roughneck from Oklahoma, travels to Marseille to visit his estranged daughter, Allison, who is in prison for a murder she claims she did not commit. Confronted with language barriers, cultural differences, and a complicated legal system, Bill builds a new life for himself in France as he makes it his personal mission to exonerate his daughter.

The Mask of Dimitrios

The Mask of Dimitrios

Crime · 1944

A mystery writer is intrigued by the tale of notorious criminal Dimitrios Makropolous, whose dead body was found washed up on the shore in Istanbul. He decides to follow the career of Dimitrios around Europe, in order to learn more about the man. Along the way he is joined by the mysterious Mr. Peters, who has his own motivation.

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon

Mystery · 1941

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Orson Welles

Written by

Orson Welles

Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth

Elsa Bannister

Orson Welles

Orson Welles

Michael O'Hara

Everett Sloane

Everett Sloane

Arthur Bannister

Glenn Anders

Glenn Anders

George Grisby

Ted de Corsia

Ted de Corsia

Sidney Broome

Erskine Sanford

Erskine Sanford

Judge

G

Gus Schilling

Goldfish

Court is in session

Put The Lady from Shanghai on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.