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Stranger on the Third Floor

Stranger on the Third Floor

Crime · Drama · Mystery · 1940

Newspaper reporter Michael Ward plunges into a nightmare of guilt, fearing that his "evidence" has sentenced the wrong man to death.

Movie details

Stranger on the Third Floor

1940 Crime · Drama · Mystery 1h 4m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

Newspaper reporter Michael Ward plunges into a nightmare of guilt, fearing that his "evidence" has sentenced the wrong man to death.

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 Stranger on the Third Floor?

The 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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Farewell, My Lovely

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Kiss Me Deadly

Kiss Me Deadly

Mystery · 1955

One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to semi-consciousness, he hears Christina being tortured until she dies. Hammer, both for vengeance and in hopes that "something big" is behind it all, decides to pursue the case.

Crimes of Passion

Crimes of Passion

Crime · 1984

Fashion designer Joanna Crane leads a double life. By night she is China Blue, a prostitute who's attracted the attention of a sexually frustrated private detective, and a psychopathic priest in possession of a murderous sex toy.

Coffy

Coffy

Crime · 1973

After her younger sister gets involved in drugs and is severely injured by contaminated heroin, a nurse sets out on a mission of vengeance and vigilante justice, killing drug dealers, pimps, and mobsters who cross her path.

Dear Mr. Gacy

Dear Mr. Gacy

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A chronicle of the interaction between college student Jason Moss and the object of his obsession, serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Cleveland Abduction

Cleveland Abduction

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A single mother becomes Ariel Castro's first kidnapping victim, and finds herself trapped in his home with two other women for 11 years.

The Valachi Papers

The Valachi Papers

Crime · 1972

When Joe Valachi has a price put on his head by Don Vito Genovese, he must take desperate steps to protect himself while in prison. An unsuccessful attempt to slit his throat puts him over the edge to break the sacred code of silence.

The Devil's Double

The Devil's Double

Drama · 2011

A chilling vision of the House of Saddam Hussein comes to life through the eyes of the man who was forced to become the double of Hussein's sadistic son.

Convict

Convict

Action · 2014

Set in the dark and old Parramatta prison built by the original convicts our lead character Ray a war veteran finds himself serving 18 months for manslaughter after defending his fiance. He soon realizes that the prison boss has it in for him and does everything possible to break Ray even going after his fiance.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Boris Ingster

Written by

Frank Partos · Nathanael West

Peter Lorre

Peter Lorre

The Stranger

John McGuire

John McGuire

Michael Ward

Margaret Tallichet

Margaret Tallichet

Jane

C

Charles Waldron

District Attorney

Elisha Cook Jr.

Elisha Cook Jr.

Joe Briggs

Charles Halton

Charles Halton

Albert Meng

Ethel Griffies

Ethel Griffies

Mrs. Kane

Court is in session

Put Stranger on the Third Floor on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

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.

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.