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Phantom Lady

Play trailer Poster for Phantom Lady Released Jan 22, 1944 1h 27m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Scott Henderson's (Alan Curtis) innocuous evening with a strange woman becomes crucial when he is later accused of murdering his wife on the same evening. When Scott's story is disbelieved and a trial fails to bring forth the "phantom lady," Scott's devoted girl Friday, secretary Carol Richman (Ella Raines), begins her own investigation with the aid of police inspector Burgess (Thomas Gomez). A high point is Carol's unexpected kinky moment with an obsessed jazz drummer (Elisha Cook Jr.).
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Phantom Lady

Critics Reviews

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Ed Gonzalez Slant Magazine Channeling the spirit of the Russians (Eisenstein, Dovshenko, Vertov), the director uses grotesque angles, close-ups, and rhythms to suggest a powerful sense of seduction and torture. May 1, 2006 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Sure, it’s built on the kinds of plot contrivances common to murder mysteries of the time but it has wit and Sidmak drives it with a snappy pace. Mar 4, 2023 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...compelling subject matter that's employed to somewhat erratic yet mostly rewarding effect... Rated: 3/4 Oct 31, 2020 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins In the end, an unobservant, unfocused antagonist arranges clunky closing shots that feel rushed, unpolished, and ineffective. Rated: 4/10 Aug 14, 2020 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy The first half is phenomenal. But it's not too difficult to figure out the killer even before he's revealed at the film's halfway point, and his prominence during the second half undermines the intrigue. Rated: 3/4 Mar 21, 2019 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia A compelling crime drama and intense thriller. Mar 1, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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acsdoug D Ella Raines is nice to look at, but she's not much of an actress. Elisha Cook is a talented actor, but he delivers what is probably the worst pantomime drum performance in cinematic history. Still, the story is a good one, Siodnak's direction is excellent, and I loved the cinematography. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/28/24 Full Review Richard G. R Good little Noir Mystery. Fast paced, and Ella Raines is the star of the film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/09/24 Full Review Steve D Effective if not remarkable thriller. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/04/24 Full Review laurent b Nice kind of film-noir thriller, though the plot is full of inconsistencies, and the acting not always convincing. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A beautiful dame rescues her boss from having been framed for his wife's murder. Thus, the noir script of men rescuing beautiful dames is flipped. About halfway through, the convicted man's "best friend" shows up and it doesn't take long to figure out he's the one whodunnit - and I'm the kind of guy who usually doesn't finger the guilty party so early. There's a lovely scene of a train platform at night with lights shining down on a couple of people like spotlights that firmly establishes the film's noir cred. Johnny C. sez check it out, even if there's no real surprises along the way. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review paul d The Phantom Lady is a stylized and very good, quasi-noir murder mystery and thriller. Ella Raines gives a fine and genuine performance. The first half of the film is the mystery part, and is excellent, while the second half is the thriller and is not as good, possibly because we know the identity of the killer. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Phantom Lady

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Movie Info

Synopsis Scott Henderson's (Alan Curtis) innocuous evening with a strange woman becomes crucial when he is later accused of murdering his wife on the same evening. When Scott's story is disbelieved and a trial fails to bring forth the "phantom lady," Scott's devoted girl Friday, secretary Carol Richman (Ella Raines), begins her own investigation with the aid of police inspector Burgess (Thomas Gomez). A high point is Carol's unexpected kinky moment with an obsessed jazz drummer (Elisha Cook Jr.).
Director
Robert Siodmak
Screenwriter
Bernard C. Schoenfeld, Cornell Woolrich
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 22, 1944, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 11, 2016
Runtime
1h 27m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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