Tension

John Berry's 1949 film watches an ordinary man plan a murder. Warren manages a drugstore and does everything he can to keep his wife Claire happy; when she leaves him for another man, he cannot take it. His plan is ingenious: build a second identity, commit the killing as that person, then make him disappear. But once he starts living under the false name he grows close to a neighbour and his intent changes. Then a body turns up. The film uses noir's favourite idea: the person a man invents to escape himself becomes the evidence against him. Audrey Totter's Claire is one of the coldest femmes fatales of the period. Berry was blacklisted soon afterwards and had to leave the United States. Who it's for: viewers who love classic American noir. Who it's not for: anyone wanting complex characters and a realistic investigation; the film builds on its setup.