I’d probably like him more if he were harsh or unkind—if he snapped at me, that sort of thing. Here we have Christopher Cross, a man in middle age whose life seems to be going nowhere, lacking both love and any sense of purpose. It all changes one evening when he saves Kitty March from an attacker, which marks the beginning of a relationship with consequences for them and those around them. Just the year before, director Fritz Lang had released *The Woman In The Window*, a film that was very well-received by both critics and audiences. He brings back Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea from that successful movie, resulting in what could be called one of the finest examples of Film Noir’s darker themes. Based on works by André Mouézy-Éon and Georges de La Fouchardière (a novel and play), this story of desperate love and greedy deception had previously been adapted for the screen in 1931 by Jean Renoir as *La chienne*, which translates to “The Bitch”! Now, that’s a Noir title if there ever was one! What Lang does with this adaptation is infuse it with his own expressionistic style, while also refusing to soften the story's more difficult elements. It’s brutal and cruel material, and given that Lang felt exploited by the studio system at the time, who better to give a sharp edge to a sordid tale? Perhaps it isn't accidental that Lang chose this film about an artist whose vision is suppressed by another? One might think not. Edward G. Robinson is excellent as the pitiable Chris Cross. Married to a wife who constantly criticizes and puts him down (Rosalind Ivan), Robinson’s portrayal of Cross elicits a great deal of sympathy, so much so that when Kitty (Bennett) and her boyfriend, Johnny Prince (Duryea), start to plot a scheme against Chris, the audience feels as desperate as he did at the beginning. Few characters in Noir have fallen so easily under a woman's spell as Cross does with Kitty here. But Lang’s atmosphere is so strong that you not only expect things to go wrong, you feel it coming, and Robinson certainly delivers an emotional blow. Bennett and Duryea are very believable, almost maliciously enjoying taking the hapless Robinson character for all he’s worth, and the visuals—particularly in the dark, shadowy final portion of the film—perfectly capture the mood. This movie probably reveals more about its director than anything else he ever made. It was even said to be one of his personal favorites. That's a good thing because it finds him at a particularly high point, and yes, devilishly so. A dark, brilliant, and essential film noir. 9/10

Source on TMDB