TinsHeadline Touches You

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

bkoganbing Edward Dmytryk directed this British film Obsession during his exile years in the United Kingdom and was fortunate to have Robert Newton in the lead. As the cheated upon husband Newton who could chew up the scenery when let loose gets a firm directorial hand. His performance here is really brilliant because it is so carefully controlled.Newton is married to Sally Gray who isn't all that subtle with her affairs. But this one with American Phil Brown is just one too many. He takes Brown prisoner and locks him in a dungeon in one of the bombed out buildings of London at the time. There he keeps Brown on a chain like a dog, but when Gray's pet terrier Monty follows Newton to the dungeon and has to be kept there, it's the missing dog that proves to be the mistake Newton didn't count on.I have to say that Newton did have a meticulously conceived plan for the murder and that he did have a reason other than sadism for keeping him alive for weeks until he was ready to do the deed.Like Dmytryk, Brown was also a victim of the blacklist and glad to be working over there. His American speech pattern and idiom also contributes to Newton's downfall.Kudos also go to Naunton Wayne as the Scotland Yard police inspector who pursues this investigation with Columbo like intensity. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the Columbo character was inspired by Obsession and Naunton Wayne.This is one top drawer British noir feature.

madmonkmcghee This movie has been widely and justly praised as a sinister chiller but instead of heaping more praises on it i wish to throw a few rocks in the pond. First of all the movie lacks the visual flair of Dmytryk's American films like Murder My Sweet and Crossfire. Film Noir is both style and substance, and in this case the visual style is somewhat threadbare. Probably a lack of funds is to blame. A bigger problem is the lack of increasing suspense as the story unfolds. Even the American hostage displays the imperturbable stiff-upper- lip attitude the British are so famous for. He seems resigned to his fate and no murderer could have wished for a more complacent victim. Give him a few books and a dry martini and he'll be fine. OK, to have him ranting and screaming for the entire movie would have become tiresome, but a bit more emotion and mental interplay between murderer and victim would have increased this viewers involvement. Now it's more a game of wits between gentlemen. The biggest flaw however is the amazingly sloppy ending. No, not the surprise the victim prepared for his murderer; that's a splendid story twist. It's the fact that apparently Scotland Yard's investigative methods rely purely on chance and coincidence. Not the dog but a stray cat turns out to be the real savior. All i can say is, and i can't stress this enough: if you plan to murder somebody, for goodness sake,don't leave your garage door unlocked! It's a shame the ending is such a dud, but still it doesn't spoil an excellent thriller. A bit more script doctoring could have resulted in a genuine masterpiece. Still, some prefer rough diamonds over polished pearls,and this is a true gem.

The_Void Obsession is adapted from a book by Alec Coppel (who also wrote the screenplay) and is yet another film based on the idea of a man in search of 'the perfect murder'. The film takes on a dark noir tone and the film focuses on both the story at hand, as well as the psychology of the lead character. The lead character is Dr. Clive Riordan; a prominent psychologist. He's an articulate and intelligent man and so when he discovers his wife is having a string of affairs right under his nose, he decides to do something about it, by way of shocking her into not having any more affairs. He drops in on his wife one night while she is enjoying an evening with a lover - an American named Bill Kronin - and holds the two of them at gunpoint. After humiliating his wife; she leaves the room, while he and the American leave shortly afterwards. The American then disappears; the wife believes her husband has murdered the man as he promised he would, but the truth is much more sinister as the psychologist goes in pursuit of the perfect murder.The lead role is taken by Robert Newton, who makes for an excellent lead. His portrayal of the central character is thoroughly captivating, and much of the film's success is owed to this. The film also benefits from an excellent script, which really makes the characters seem real and provides some excellent lines of dialogue - a scene between the lead character a police officer over the varying skills of the police and murderers is a major highlight. The plot itself flows very well as the film moves along and more than does enough to hold the audience's attention; the psychologist's musings over his theories on how to commit the perfect crime are one of the main points of interest. The atmosphere of the film is very dark and director Edward Dmytryk lays style on very thick which is of great benefit to the story, which is very dark itself. Things get very tense as we near the ending and the end itself is strong and gives good closure to the story. Overall, Obsession is a great thriller and well worth the effort of tracking down. Highly recommended!

bob the moo When Dr Clive Riordan discovers that the friendship of his wife and American Bill Kronin is actually an affair he confronts them with a gun, whisking Bill away with wife Storm sure that he will murder him. With Bill missing days later, the police begin a missing persons search that makes the headlines. Unable to go to the police without ruining her reputation, Storm is certain that Clive has killed her lover – however a letter from Bill suggests he is still alive. Meanwhile the police investigation continues, with Clive never coming into it once, despite the fact that he is holding Bill alive in a secret room in his house – waiting for the police to give the case up before killing him for real.I have made a bit of a fudge in describing the plot above but it actually flows a lot better than I have written it. The plot is quickly set up and it brings the film down to a series of cat and mouse style games, all of them Riordan and at least one other. So we get Riordan and Bill talking in the secret room; Riordan and Storm talking around the supposed murder; Riordan and Supt Finsbury talking around the investigation. The film can pretty much be broken down into these parts, interlinking with each other. Each works well as the writing and tension help to keep the film moving along well right down to the satisfying conclusion.The script is enjoyable in producing characters that are interesting. For example I enjoyed the way that Clive seemed to quite like Bill despite the fact that he was going to kill him. The script also has a touch of humour across it, with the macabre comedy across it played subtly while also leaving room for an amusing Carry On style joke from the woman complaining about her husband in Riordan's surgery. Dmytryk directs well mostly inside rooms, keeping enough back to build the tension but not letting it become stagy.The cast respond well to this and it is they that make the script work well. Newton is the standout of the cast as he delivers a cold and clinical character who is also emotional but in a very English way. He works well with the other actors to deliver some solid tension. Brown is good considering what is asked of him in his character – he works well with Newton. Gray is almost on the sidelines for much of the film but gives a reasonable turn despite this. Wayne delivers an obvious character perhaps but it does work when you consider how it compliments and plays off Newton's character.Overall then an enjoyable little film. Criminally few have seen it but it works well within itself thanks to a solid script that good performances make good on, and of course atmospheric handling from director Dmytryk.