The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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Laura
Drama · Mystery · 1944
A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating.
Movie details
Laura
“The story of a love that became the most fearful thing that ever happened to a woman!”
1944 Drama · Mystery 1h 28m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.6 / 10
Community rating
A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Laura?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
The Mask of Dimitrios
Crime · 1944
A mystery writer is intrigued by the tale of notorious criminal Dimitrios Makropolous, whose dead body was found washed up on the shore in Istanbul. He decides to follow the career of Dimitrios around Europe, in order to learn more about the man. Along the way he is joined by the mysterious Mr. Peters, who has his own motivation.
Agatha and the Truth of Murder
Drama · 2018
England, December 1926. Although her personal life is in tatters, the famous writer Agatha Christie decides to leave everything behind to help unravel an unsolved murder committed on a train six years ago, unable to imagine the disproportionate consequences that such a selfless act will cause.
Mr. Holmes
Drama · 2015
In 1947, long-retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely on his housekeeper's son as he revisits the still-unsolved case that led to his retirement.
The Outfit
Crime · 2022
Leonard is an English tailor who used to craft suits on London’s world-famous Savile Row. After a personal tragedy, he’s ended up in Chicago, operating a small tailor shop in a rough part of town where he makes beautiful clothes for the only people around who can afford them: a family of vicious gangsters.
The Detective
Crime · 1968
New York City Police detective Joe Leland investigates the grisly murder of Teddy Leikman, the gay son of a politically influential department store owner. While investigating, he discovers links to official corruption in NYC in this drama that delves into a world of sex and drugs, homophobia, homosexuality and bisexuality.
Before and After
Crime · 1996
Two parents deal with the effects when their son is accused of murdering his girlfriend.
Wedding Planner Mystery
Mystery · 2014
Wedding Planner Mystery follows the exploits of a quirky but lovable event planner who makes murder as fun as can be. Homicide doesn't follow our heroine; she seeks it out. Using her circle of contacts, her friendship with a reporter and the same research skills that enable her to plan distinctive events - if an unsolved murder occurs in Seattle, Carnegie will find out about it.
Murder on the Orient Express
Mystery · 2017
Genius Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon aboard the Orient Express train.
Out of Time
Thriller · 2003
Matt Lee Whitlock, respected chief of police in small Banyan Key, Florida, must solve a vicious double homicide before he himself falls under suspicion. Matt Lee has to stay a few steps ahead of his own police force and everyone he's trusted in order to find out the truth.
Insomnia
Thriller · 2002
Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Otto Preminger
Written by
Jay Dratler · Samuel Hoffenstein · Elizabeth Reinhardt · Ring Lardner, Jr.
Dana Andrews
Det. Lt. Mark McPherson
Gene Tierney
Laura Hunt
Clifton Webb
Waldo Lydecker
Vincent Price
Shelby Carpenter
Judith Anderson
Ann Treadwell
Dorothy Adams
Laura's Maid Bessie Clary (uncredited)
Wally Albright
Newsboy (uncredited)
Court is in session
Put Laura on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.