The defence The Big-Idea Head
“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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Sorry, Wrong Number
Thriller · Mystery · 1948
Leona Stevenson is confined to bed and uses her telephone to keep in contact with the outside world. One day she overhears a murder plot on the telephone and is desperate to find out who is the intended victim.
Movie details
Sorry, Wrong Number
“Tangled Wires... Whispering of Murder! Tangled Lives... Fighting to Escape!”
1948 Thriller · Mystery 1h 29m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.8 / 10
Community rating
Leona Stevenson is confined to bed and uses her telephone to keep in contact with the outside world. One day she overhears a murder plot on the telephone and is desperate to find out who is the intended victim.
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 Sorry, Wrong Number?
For the defence
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
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.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Anatole Litvak
Written by
Lucille Fletcher
Barbara Stanwyck
Leona Cotterell Stevenson
Burt Lancaster
Henry Stevenson
Ann Richards
Sally Hunt Lord
Wendell Corey
Dr. Philip Alexander
Harold Vermilyea
Waldo Evans
Ed Begley
James 'J.B.' Cotterell
Leif Erickson
Fred Lord
Court is in session
Put Sorry, Wrong Number 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.