AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

arthur_tafero See this film. It is in the mold of The Big Heat and by the same director (Fritz Lang, the mentor of Alfred Hitchcock). Gloria Grahame is smoking hot. I wouldn't hesitate for a NY minute to take care of business for her. Ford and Crawford are good as well. Not to be missed noir.

poe426 HUMAN DESIRE has it all: a jealous husband (Broderick Crawford), his mousy but sensuous wife (Gloria Grahame), a Korean war vet with an unshakable moral code (Glenn Ford) and all the murder and duplicity one could ask for in a Fritz Lang movie. Like almost everything Lang ever did, HUMAN DESIRE boasts superbly symmetrical cinematography (the scenes of the railroad yard are some of the best of their kind ever committed to film), great sets, and an expert sense of staging (not to mention solid performances from all of the leads, an aspect often overlooked when people assess Lang's films). Storywise, HUMAN DESIRE lives up to its title- and with an outstanding and unusual ending that comes as a bit of a surprise.

Michael O'Keefe The notable Fritz Lang directs this hard-boiled film noir. Lots of railroad footage, passionate acting and a murder in desperation. A Korean War veteran, Jeff Warren(Glenn Ford)returns to his railroad engineer job. Wanting really nothing more, but a quiet life is not in store. Warren meets Vicki Buckley(Gloria Graham)and enters a passionate affair after reluctantly helping her bullish, combustible husband(Broderick Crawford)get away with murder. Vicki is so fed up with her abusive husband, who is Jeff's foreman, that she convincingly dupes her new lover into plotting her spouse's demise.Based on a novel by Emile Zola, HUMAN DESIRE is not full of frills and fancy; just Black & White two-timing homicide. Ford is an everyday man. Graham is alluring in a slutty way. Crawford seems a natural at being pig-headed and gruff. In support: Edgar Buchanan, Peggy Maley, Paul Brineger and Kathleen Case.

AudioFileZ First billing on Human Desire goes to Glenn Ford, but he's somewhat eclipsed by Gloria Grahame. Grahame as Vicky Buckley is a cross between a femme fa tale and a bullied and oppressed wife. While not a classic beauty she exudes a kind of striking combination of a sultry sexuality and a "girl next door" with a babyish voice to further complicate the juxtaposition. She most definitely can play the role she's given here standing toe-to-toe with both Ford and Broderick Crawford as her husband Carl. Vicky is at once damaged, devious, and extremely manipulative and Grahame delivers it in spades. Human Desire is a combination of film noir and a romantic drama. Named quite correctly the movie shows how certain innate desires can trip up otherwise solid people. Without haste the marriage between Carl and Vicky becomes a loveless match of wills. Even though Carl suspects Vicky of having an affair with the older wealthy John Owens he forces Vicky to meet him and ask for his influence in getting back the job Carl lost. This sets up Carl's rage when he once more accuses Vicky of a tryst with Owens as she was simply gone too long.In a jealous calculated murder plot Carl gets the upper hand on his wife with a note in order to lure Owens into a trap. It's implied he knows he is going to kill Owens while holding the letter framing Vicky. Carl will, thus, prevent Vicky from leaving for fear of being implicated in the murder.. But, instead of controlling his wife Carl is losing her to returning veteran and railroad engineer Jeff Warren played by Glenn Ford. Warren becomes intertwined in the whole mess by a kiss with Vicky Buckley prior to knowing who and what she is. Before he can figure out he is getting played, Warren decides to testify in an inquiry that he couldn't identify the passenger (Vicky) he may have witnessed, possibly involved in the murder of John Owens. Now, Jeff Warren is in deep being blinded by his budding love (i.e. lust) for Vicky, much to her design. Things get messier before Warren gets his own personal reality check as he truly contemplates murdering Carl Buckley to both save Vicky and have her for his wife. This plays out quite well as the love triangle of Carl, Vicky, and Jeff Warren comes to a critical mass. There's a good twist at the end when at least Vicky, who loses Warren, thinks she's, at least, free of Carl.While no classic, this is a solid movie with good elements of film noir and romantic drama. Director Fritz Lang may have been slumming just a little, though Grahame's performance stands tall. Ford is realistic as the otherwise "nice-guy" who gets snowed. Broderick, typically wooden, brings that unsympathetic bully quality needed for the dark matter to spring forth from. These three get nice support from Warren's fatherly co-worker Alec, played by the crusty character actor Edgar Buchanan (uncle Joe from Petticoat Junction fame) and his overly sweet and beautiful daughter Ellen played by Kathleen Case (Jeff's potential other love interest).This isn't a classic movie due to several factors such as less than stellar dialog and, perhaps, general lack of imagination. But, it is a quite strong film due to the strength of Grahame as Vicky Buckley in playing out of that age old story of a love triangle with a murder in the middle As such is gets a definite recommendation.