Superb Freudian crime thriller, noir-inflected in theme but shot by and large in crisp, bright drawing-rooms.
Comment
02/09/06
Angel Face (1952)
80
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:10
Fresh:8
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.4/10
Reviews for Angel Face
1 - 11 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Top CriticThis skilfully constructed noir, while not quite as convincing as some, still serves as a reminder that sometimes beautiful people can be the most dangerous.
05/24/03
Top CriticClick to read the article
03/26/09
Top CriticPreminger transforms a second rate James M. Cain murder plot, re-orchestrating this textbook tale of passion and murder into a haunting and haunted refrain
03/16/09
For all of its unbelievability, Angel Face is consistently suspenseful under Preminger's sure direction. In short, you're never sure what that crazy woman will do next.
10/23/07
Top CriticOne of the best yet still underestimated film noir, boasting gloriously detailed mise-en-scene from Otto Preminger and a revelatory performance by the cast-against- type Jean Simmons as a murderess femme fatale.
04/06/07
...never quite achieves lift-off...
02/04/07
A capable cast, headed by Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum, and a nice, taut story idea have been set adrift in a pretentious Freudian mist that wafts through the handsomely mounted proceedings with disastrous results.
08/08/06
Top CriticFor the average viewer, this early fifties RKO noir might seem a tad slow, even a bit dreary. But if you look closer, what you'll find is an unnerving study of inertia and the empty blandness of your average murderer.
05/01/03
The sets, characters, and actions are extremely stylized, yet Preminger's moving camera gives them a frightening unity and fluidity, tracing a straight, clean line to a cliff top for one of the most audacious endings in film history.
03/31/03
An outstanding melodrama.
03/31/03
1 - 11 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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