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Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.
All Critics (21) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (19) | Rotten (2) | DVD (2)
A clockwork noir of diabolical determinism.
A strong and decidedly suspenseful murder melodrama.
It's not merely a dazzling piece of suspense, but also a characteristically stark demonstration of Lang's belief in the inevitability of fate.
The Woman in the Window is a humdinger of a mystery melodrama.
A masterful film noir from Fritz Lang's rich American period.
Ruined by a cowardly ending but it was terrific up until then.
One of the best of the approximately two dozen films directed by Fritz Lang during his two-decade stint in Hollywood.
The Woman in the Window is a thriller in the new tradition of Double Indemnity and Laura. It fails to reach the standard of either because it lacks the courage of its murderous conclusions to an extent only fully revealed by a disappointing ending.
There's no denying the power of this particular nightmare.
A gripping psychological thriller.
... one of Fritz Lang's subtlest films.
For much of its brisk running time, The Woman in the Window plays like another balls-to-the-wall gem from the rarely-less-than-masterful Fritz Lang.
Lang directs this solid film noir with intelligence, building tension without hurry and relying mostly on a clever script full of nuances, an inspired dialogue and great performances, even if he disappoints with a conservative ending that feels more like a cheap cop out.
Super Reviewer
Fritz Lang's "The Woman in the Window" is a reasonably good but second-rate film noir, starring Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett. It's hard to believe that the same man directed this and 1927's "Metropolis." "The Woman in the Window" isn't terrible, but it almost completely lacks ingenuity. The cinematography is uninteresting, the sets and costumes run-of-the-mill, and the story rather thin. But it does hold one's interest, and there are moments of real tension. Robinson plays a college professor who specializes in criminal psychology. He gets wrapped up in a murder with a woman (Bennett) he meets on the street late at night. It is fun to watch them try to cover it up. But the twists and turns are pretty much what you'd expect from a B picture. There's also a tremendously lame twist ending built to make the film palatable to a Disney audience. I suppose Lang was pushed by the studio to end it this way. But it's still lame of Lang to have given in. He should have pushed back harder. It seems clear that in this period Lang cared more about earning his salary than making true cinema. From world-famous artist to studio hack in 20 years. What a disappointment. Lang was an Austrian Jew who fled the Nazis and ended up in Hollywood. Another Austrian Jew who did the same was Billy Wilder. While Lang's creative period was over, Wilder's was just beginning. By coincidence, Wilder also directed a film noir in 1944: "Double Indemnity," starring Barbara Stanwyck. If you want to see first-rate film noir, skip Lang's film and watch Wilder's.
This is a more intense version of Scarlett Street, and I can't decide which one I like better, but they have such similar plots, I get them mixed up.
Pure noir gold.
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