Forumrxes Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Robert J. Maxwell The first time I saw this, years ago, I thought it was a little torpid. At the opening, when private investigator Mark Stevens slaps the dumb hood William Bendix around, why doesn't Bendix fight back? Then there is Stevens' pushy new secretary, Lucille Ball. Are we in for a romance? Now I don't know why I was bored because, on second viewing, it looks pretty good to me. Maybe all those Charlie Chan movies I saw in the interim have led to successive contrast. This is pretty good noir. The plot itself is nothing that you wouldn't find in a B feature detective story, but just about all of the other elements come together. There is a good woman, yes, but there's also a bad woman. And there is stark lighting, location shooting in New York, despair, shadows, intrigue, murder, frame ups, and well-drawn characters.Where else can you find a line like, "I feel all dead inside. I'm backed up into a dark corner and I don't know who's hitting me." I don't want to get into the plot too deeply because it meanders around quite a lot, like most of these tales. Stevens and Ball are searching for someone who is out to frame Stevens for the murder of a man who had previously framed Stevens for another crime, of which Stevens was innocent. You see what I mean about the plot being tortuous.But -- plot aside -- the photography by Joe MacDonald is excellent. Whatever criticisms may be made of the old studio system, there were giants in the earth. MacDonald was also responsible for shooting "My Darling Clementine" and "Call Northside 777." Except for a little "Manhattan Serenade" under the credits, there is no overscore. All the music in the film comes from some source -- a nightclub band, somebody practicing the piano. It's what Franz Waxman did for "Rear Window." The dialog is divided into three levels: that spoken by Clifton Webb, the aesthete owner of an art gallery; that spoken by ordinary people like Stevens and Ball; and that spoken by roughnecks like William Bendix.Webb gets much better lines than in his other pouf roles, including "Laura." Samples: "I detest the dawn. The grass always looks like it's been left out all night." When an elderly lady remarks that a painting "grows on you," Webb's arch riposte is: "My dear, you make it sound like some sort of fungus." Bendix, the thug, is careless in Webb's office and Webb says sharply: "And stop flicking your ashes on my carpet. That's a genuine capuchin." (Webb uses the French pronunciation of "capuchin" and I had to look it up in Wikipedia to find out what the hell he was saying.) Webb's wife -- Cathy Downs, who can't act -- protests that her paramour would never run off with that other lady because he loathed her. "He loathed her rather intimately, I'm afraid."Level two -- ordinary language -- doesn't get the same number of zingers, but here's a sample. Stevens was convicted of a crime of which he was innocent. Now, someone has left a dead body in his apartment. When he discovers he's been set up yet again, Steven puts his head in his hands and remarks, "I can be framed easier than whistler's mother."The screenwriters, Dratler and Schoenfeld, don't get a pass for level three, the patois of the underclass. It sounds as if they've been reading twenty-year-old pulp magazines. They over reach and you can hear the creaking of joints as they do: "I need two yards for powder money." That translates as "I need two-hundred dollars to take a powder (ie., get out of town)." Stevens is surprisingly effective. He's not really very expressive but he does "anxiety" much better than Bogart ever did.

ksneath This fine example of Film Noir differs from many in that the film is rather more plot-driven than character-driven. This is not to say that the characters are flat, but simply that the mechanics of the film focus first on telling the story. As such, you don't get unforgettable personas common to many top-tier noir films (like The Big Heat or Double Indemnity for instance). However, what you do get is an intriguing picture that keeps your interest throughout its 99 minute runtime.The cinematography is classic noir, full of deep shadows and interesting compositions. Another fairly uncommon aspect of a movie with these elements is that it continually alternates between very seedy, grimy locations and high society venues, providing an interesting contrast in social spheres, but maintaining the same dark, foreboding mood in both.Although the cast is not full of top-billing names, the principle characters are solid and fit well within the story. Of course it is fascinating to see Lucille Ball in a pre-Lucy role, playing a straight part to good effect (for another good early role, see "Lured"). Stevens, while occupying the part of the leading man, gives an appropriate if still forgettable performance. Bendix and Webb combine with very different roles to make good antagonists, while the little-known Cathy Downs glows with a classic femme-fatale beauty.All-in-all a good movie that sparkles with noir lighting in addition to a good plot which should hold your interest throughout. Recommended.

RanchoTuVu New York private investigator Mark Stevens gets interested enough in his secretary (Lucille Ball) to take her out after work to a New York arcade where she mentions that they're being followed by a guy in a white suit (William Bendix). A true pro would never try to tail anyone while standing out in a crowd by wearing a white suit, and it turns out that this is part of a masterful plot orchestrated by wealthy art gallery owner and collector Clifton Webb to take advantage of Stevens spotted past. Of course Webb, who played a few dangerous characters (i.e. the one he played in LAURA) has a young wife (Cathy Downs) who is only in it with him for the money and gives her affection to blackmailer and social climber Kurt Kreuger who knew Stevens when they worked together in San Francisco. How Webb could have known about Stevens and Kreuger is up to speculation on the part of the viewer, but certainly if anyone could come up with such a way of getting rid of someone, Webb's character could. William Bendix stands out in his role as the hired muscle, living in a ground floor flat with a couple of cool scenes of him phoning Webb from a phone in the hallway while a little girl neighbor bothers his concentration while blowing on a kazoo. In fact the acting by everyone is restrained enough by director Henry Hathaway and the script doesn't let anyone down.

jbacks3 This is one of my favorite films of all time. This has all the elements of a definitive film noir classic but it's strangely overlooked whenever the topic come up amongst film buffs. No, it's not noir artsy fartsy as The Third Man or adapted from a popular Dash Hammett novel... and yes, some of the dialog seems lifted straight from a cheap pulp magazine... but what The Dark Corner has is a serviceable plot and a cast of intriguing actors, many of whom would hit stardom on 50's TV: the film has the unexpected appeal of a 35-year old Lucille Ball in a dramatic role--- with New York itself deserving of an screen credit. This is easily one of Lucy's best performances. Great entertainment! 4th billed Mark Stevens' shoes could've been filled by anyone from John Lund to John Payne to Sterling Hayden, but he's more than capable and sympathetic here--- leaving viewers to wonder why his career didn't go farther. Cuckolded Clifton Webb is compellingly creepy (although it's a bit weird to see him obsessed with a woman other than his mother) and Bill Bendix is always a welcome addition to any 40's film. Look for an effective, technically advanced (for '46) matte-death scene. I have seen this 10+ times and always enjoy it. Highly recommended!!!!! 10/10.