The Lady From Shanghai

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Johnathon W @Hoppynsc May 31 Superb crime noir that ranks as one of Orson Welles's best, at least on the directorial side. The cast is solid, though Orson Welles lead performance is rather subdued, and he forgets he is supposed to have an Irish accent half the time. Thankfully, the rest are superb, with Rita Hayworth at her femme fatale best as the title character while Everett Sloane compelling as her lawyer husband. Behind the camera, Welles does deliver a twisty plot, with his O'Hara admitting to finding himself in a middle of a bunch of sharks, with all the double-crosses and murders. It culminates in a classic scene at a funhouse that remains one of the best ever shot. Overall, a classic film noir by any measure. See more Leaburn O @RT35452347 Nov 23 There’s so much I enjoyed in this noir but so much I was confused by. The plot is thick with big characters and an interesting premise but in the end I couldn’t adequately remember which character was which and definitely lost track of everyone’s motivations in the convoluted plot. It all ended in ludicrous fashion where it becomes clear that Welles had already decided he wanted to have a final scene in a hall of mirrors and made a ridiculous way of shoehorning it into the plot even though it made absolutely zero sense that the scene could ever have materialised. Unfortunately it was just all very silly in the end after a good opening hour. Watched on DVD. See more Kyle M @RT77296778 07/05/2025 Orson Welles has a sharp voice to upend his woodenly executed screenplay and grow confidence in direction as it cleverly unfolds to slowly establish engagement upon the clarifying climax whereas the entertainment value truly lies when culminating in full circle. (B) See more Jason C @RT90084543 11/17/2024 Some cool camera angles. Turned into a courthouse drama in the middle. But Rita Hayworth you could imagine getting in too deep for. See more David W @Wheels642 09/29/2024 The plot is as complex as any great Noir should be. Wells creates cinematic scene after scene of daring visuals way ahead of their time in 1948, and still unique and stunning today. Hayworth gives a femme fatale grace to match the noirish acting of a stellar cast. The scene in Steinhart Aquarium and the shootout in hall of mirrors are still unequaled in film history! New remastered 4k is fabulous! See more Georgan G @RT98616417 09/18/2024 The complex plot grabs my attention, and the acting is terrific. Got tired of Welles' "accent," but he & Rita have chemistry that counts. See more Read all reviews

The Lady From Shanghai

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