Best movie of this year hands down!

Such a frustrating disappointment

Pretty Good

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Obsession (AKA: The Hidden Room) is directed by Edward Dmytryk and adapted to screenplay by Alec Coppel from his own book and play. It stars Robert Newton, Phil Brown, Sally Gray and Naunton Wayne. Music is by Nino Rota and cinematography by C.M. Pennington-Richards.Finally having had enough of his wife's affair with a young lover, Dr. Clive Riordan (Newton) plots a devilish scheme of kidnap and murder...The motive that drives the plot of Obsession is simple in the extreme, this is out and out a revenge for infidelity, but the presentation by Dmytryk is superbly crafty in that Hitchcockian way. The doctor is a most elegant and calm man, he has the perfect murder in mind for his wife's lover (Brown) and he, being a purveyor of psychological smarts, is going to enjoy the luxury of methodically taunting his prey over a period of time.With the man ingeniously incarcerated down in a bombed out abode, and subjected to daily visits from the doctor, Dr. Clive is then seen going about his normal routines. Exchanging brandy sips with cultural chatter in the gentleman's club, swatting away the attentions of his increasingly fraught wife (Gray), and of course dealing with the close attentions of Scotland Yard; here in the form of Naunton Wayne's astute Superintendent Finsbury. The "good" doctor even has plenty of time to indulge in his love of model train set construction.The initial plot machinations are slowly paced by the recently blacklisted director, but it's a deliberate ploy since the whole complexion of the movie changes once the kidnap occurs and the police and the press become involved. The atmosphere becomes tense, and this even as captor and captive enjoy some straight backed - prim and proper - verbal exchanges. There's a meticulousness to the murder based thematics that strike a chord, the mention of Crippen and obvious nods to John George Haigh keep the film buzzing with real life serial killer atrocities. There's a case to be made here that this is Dmytryk's best British film? Certainly his ability to build suspense without histrionics or blood letting is a masterclass in Brit thriller staging. While his directing of Newton and Wayne, both of whom are excellent, is also worthy of a pat on the back. Visually it's straight black and white photography, except for the odd time we are out on the wet cobbled streets and the gaslights ooze the ethereal. But although there's some debate about if it deserves film noir status, I personally feel it's the sort of crime/thriller mounted with enough skill to make it worth seeking out by the film noir loving crowd. Some of the support turns are stiff, but mercifully not film harming, while you do have to accept that the locale of the crime is hardly water tight and most likely would have been found with ease. But minor itches be damned, this is cunning, crafty and a British chiller of some worth. 8/10

Robert Newton is personally affronted by the way his wife, actress Sally Gray, and her latest man have been carrying on right in front of him and with the ease and lack of concern for his feelings that she has for him. In fact, she's done this before, flirting with men and being seen with the opposite sex out in public without her husband. Robert had come to the point and decision that he would kill the next man that did it. So this man is his victim. He goes through a very detailed, meticulous plan. He kidnaps him, holds him, and lets him suffer a bit. But how will he actually murder him? What's in the hidden room? This is one of best unknown British films I have seen in a long while. The characters are very real to the viewer, as we are drawn in Robert's world of revenge from the very beginning. We actually feel for Robert Newton, that is, until one moment when it's obvious his state of mind is unreasonable and we see the victim weakening. Enough is enough! Right! Well, you won't believe what happens! If you want a good mystery with unexpected twists, then this is a must-see film.

This movie has been widely and justly praised as a sinister chiller but instead of heaping more praises on it i wish to throw a few rocks in the pond. First of all the movie lacks the visual flair of Dmytryk's American films like Murder My Sweet and Crossfire. Film Noir is both style and substance, and in this case the visual style is somewhat threadbare. Probably a lack of funds is to blame. A bigger problem is the lack of increasing suspense as the story unfolds. Even the American hostage displays the imperturbable stiff-upper- lip attitude the British are so famous for. He seems resigned to his fate and no murderer could have wished for a more complacent victim. Give him a few books and a dry martini and he'll be fine. OK, to have him ranting and screaming for the entire movie would have become tiresome, but a bit more emotion and mental interplay between murderer and victim would have increased this viewers involvement. Now it's more a game of wits between gentlemen. The biggest flaw however is the amazingly sloppy ending. No, not the surprise the victim prepared for his murderer; that's a splendid story twist. It's the fact that apparently Scotland Yard's investigative methods rely purely on chance and coincidence. Not the dog but a stray cat turns out to be the real savior. All i can say is, and i can't stress this enough: if you plan to murder somebody, for goodness sake,don't leave your garage door unlocked! It's a shame the ending is such a dud, but still it doesn't spoil an excellent thriller. A bit more script doctoring could have resulted in a genuine masterpiece. Still, some prefer rough diamonds over polished pearls,and this is a true gem.

Obsession is adapted from a book by Alec Coppel (who also wrote the screenplay) and is yet another film based on the idea of a man in search of 'the perfect murder'. The film takes on a dark noir tone and the film focuses on both the story at hand, as well as the psychology of the lead character. The lead character is Dr. Clive Riordan; a prominent psychologist. He's an articulate and intelligent man and so when he discovers his wife is having a string of affairs right under his nose, he decides to do something about it, by way of shocking her into not having any more affairs. He drops in on his wife one night while she is enjoying an evening with a lover - an American named Bill Kronin - and holds the two of them at gunpoint. After humiliating his wife; she leaves the room, while he and the American leave shortly afterwards. The American then disappears; the wife believes her husband has murdered the man as he promised he would, but the truth is much more sinister as the psychologist goes in pursuit of the perfect murder.The lead role is taken by Robert Newton, who makes for an excellent lead. His portrayal of the central character is thoroughly captivating, and much of the film's success is owed to this. The film also benefits from an excellent script, which really makes the characters seem real and provides some excellent lines of dialogue - a scene between the lead character a police officer over the varying skills of the police and murderers is a major highlight. The plot itself flows very well as the film moves along and more than does enough to hold the audience's attention; the psychologist's musings over his theories on how to commit the perfect crime are one of the main points of interest. The atmosphere of the film is very dark and director Edward Dmytryk lays style on very thick which is of great benefit to the story, which is very dark itself. Things get very tense as we near the ending and the end itself is strong and gives good closure to the story. Overall, Obsession is a great thriller and well worth the effort of tracking down. Highly recommended!