Thanks to a hatchet job by the studio we are left with a deeply flawed but at times brilliant Film-Noir.I hope someday we get Orson Welles cut of this.

Love this movie! Could watch it everyday. Even when his films were butchered by short-sighted studios, the magic of Welles vision shines through for the ages... This one is like THE perfect B-movie.

some seriously avant garde and gorgeous shots, suplemented by pretty mediocre writing and satisfactory acting--and one of the worst accents in movie history, orson welles sounds about as irish in this movie as peter lorre. the narration is pretty decent--discounting the accent, and the lighting is great. the only really good things that stand out are the narrated sequences, and the climax with the mirrors--too bad welles couldnt manage to make the rest of the movie that well.

Definately worth a view for all the classic moments.

With the exception of Orson Welles accent, I loved everything about this film. The ending is possibly one of the greatest scenes ever.

I was able to overlook its many flaws for the incredible story that keeps you guessing and some incredible photography (which is a given). A very enjoyable noir.

It's a well-directed noir but what's with Welles' silly Irish accent?

I can't judge it on what it could (or should) have been. Yes it was butchered in editing, but that doesn't make the end product any better and the performances are lackluster at best -- Welles' accent! The fact that it's as coherent and engaging as it is, makes it even more disappointing if you believe Welles' definitive edition would have been better (which it certainly would have).

Pretty much the definition of "so bad it's good." Everything about this movie seems wrong, but it works so well. From Orson's horrible Irish accent to the pointless closeups of Rita Hayworth to the weird editing and the awkward music choices - this movie just works. Plus, the cinematography is pretty awesome.

Pretentious, arty. Welles adopts a bad Irish accent. But Rita has never been more gorgeous, and the final shoot-out a a fun house is very cool.

A gorgeous, romantic film, but it's not all that engaging.

A surprisingly flimsy film in terms of its technical aspects, surprising since it came from the master of the technical. The awful editing and hugely inconsistent composition don't strengthen the unremarkable storyline and acting. At least the cinematography looks nifty, especially at the memorable ending.

Greatest moment: The attorney who cross examines himself.

Improbable story that relies mostly on Welles' visual priorities to raise the property value.

The great parts definitely outweigh the bad.

Orson Welles is a handsome Irish dockworker who saves Rita Hayworth from muggers with his kung-fu. Then it gets weird.

All the film-noir essence can be seen here, in a masterfully directed film that features the famous and brilliant mirror scene.

Tense and well-paced noir with some wonderfully shot sequences (Aquarium and Fun House). In this and in Touch of Evil (and maybe to a lesser extent the Stranger) there's this magnificently sinister feel throughout that makes for a compelling experience.

Too overly complicated, far too many annoying ticks, though the brief final scene in the hall of mirrors almost makes up for it. Almost. Thank God the studio cut away from the two-and-a-half hour version Welles apparently had cut, because this film comes very close to being insufferable at a lean ninety minutes.

You can see Orson Welles' genius scattered all around this one of a kind noir and the whole remains a very captivating experience. Unfortunately, much of the story and scenes are so chopped up by the production company (in my opinion, worse than any other Welles film) that the end result turns out to be one of the most interesting messes ever created.

418

It had its moments, but those were few and far between.

This was a pretty nice film-noir from Orson Welles. It’s about a man (Welles) who meets a beautiful lady and ends up involved in a complex murder plot. The lady was not actually Chinese, as the title might imply. Welles’ direction was fantastic, as usual. There was a scene near the end which was pretty brilliant. I can’t say I was completed enraptured though. I wouldn’t call it one of his best, but it’s worth a watch.

Rita Hayworth. Orson Welles. Enough said. Well, if only Welles could lose that ridiculous accent.

#403