This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

(Flash Review)A bank cashier, with a heart for painting, who is stuck in a drab marriage breaks up what he thought was a street mugging of an attractive lady. He befriends this woman who had ulterior motives for keeping in contact. Based on her false assumption of this man's true profession and financial stability, she begins to persuade him to give her money for her and her secret boyfriend. How long will this go on? Will the cashier uncover her true motives and how will his depressive life effect any reaction he may have if the truth comes out? This story was well-written, edited, paced, acted, and effective use of cinematography. It also used some unexpected effects at key moments. A prime example of great Film Noir.

Considered to be one of director Fritz Langs' finest films (and one of Langs' own personal favorites), "Scarlet Street" is a rock solid, ultimately sombre film noir / drama that jerks your emotions around with ease. An American adaptation of the novel "La Chienne", which had previously been adapted for the screen (by Jean Renoir) and the stage, it stars Edward G. Robinson as Chris Cross, a middle aged milquetoast married to a shrewish woman named Adele (Rosalind Ivan). He's a veteran cashier at a bank who, one night, interferes when he sees a woman being struck by a man. The woman is tough talking "working girl" Kitty March (the lovely Joan Bennett), the man is her pimp / boyfriend Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea). When the two of them see that Chris is getting hung up on her, and mistakenly believe him to be a financially successful painter, they figure to give him a good screwing-over.Working from an engrossing script by Dudley Nichols, Lang keeps you entertained every step of the way, eager to see how this story will develop and how the characters will make out. Ones' sympathies may even shift at times. Helping to keep the audience on their toes is an effective plot twist about 73 minutes along, and one has to wonder, how will our lead deal with this predicament?The performances are superb right across the board. Edward G. is effectively cast against type as a rather pathetic figure. His casting is also appropriate when one learns that he was a real art aficionado in real life. Bennett is a delight as the self-serving femme fatale. Duryea is perfectly slimy, and he's often very amusing to watch. Margaret Lindsay (as Kitty's associate Millie), the memorable Ivan, Jess Barker (as an art critic), Charles Kemper (as a rumpled detective), Samuel S. Hinds, Vladimir Sokoloff, Arthur Loft, and Russell Hicks all add value to the film with their portrayals.Overall, there's much to admire here, making "Scarlet Street" worthy viewing for any fan of this genre.10 out of 10.

I would say not by much. Fritz Lang's Scarlet Street is honestly my favorite film of his: not only is it well made, it's just brutal in its view of humanity and fate.Edward G. Robinson makes Chris Cross one of the most pathetic noir protagonists: weak-willed and timid, he yearns for an existence better than his own, where he can quit his boring day job and paint his modernist works for a living. Trapped in a sexless and emotionally abusive marriage of convenience, he wants to be with young and lovely Kitty (played with pure venom by Joan Bennett), who unbeknownst to him is a prostitute in a sadomasochistic relationship with Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea, one of the great cinematic sleazes), who may or may not be her pimp as well. His chance encounter with her and her pimp's plot to fleece Chris for all he's worth leads to the darkest and grimmest of noir endings, where Chris cannot even end his own life to escape his misery.Definitely not a film if you want a pick me up, but it is a masterpiece. Equally expressionistic and naturalist (as in the naturalism of Stephen Crane or Jack London, with the idea of man as powerless before fate and/or his own environment), it is a riveting watch.

Wow. This was amazing. That feeling of being trapped like he is at first makes him an easily identifiable character, and the way he is taken advantage of is really great to watch. I wish Kitty was a little more mature and scheming, as it is it seems the film isn't quite sure if she is evil or just in a twisted relationship with Johnny. Johnny is fun, though I wish we had more back-story on him, and how he became the man he is.The ending may have been over the top, but I loved it. Maybe it was a bit overdone, but it pulled off being creepy in a way that I haven't yet seen other old films do.