First thing I have to say is that this movie has been needlessly brutalised by too many IMDb reviewers. If this is a B-grade movie, it's certainly the best one I have ever seen. It's not brilliant or groundbreaking, but it's a very respectable homage to the film noir genre and a nice little nod to Hitchcock.
The feel of the movie is fantastic - dark, seedy, brooding, almost agonisingly suspenseful (some reviewers mistook this as too "slooooooooooow" pacing)and menacing enough to make me so tense while watching that at the movie's end, my shoulders actually loosened in relief!!! There are no huge surprises or plot twists, as virtually everything is laid out on the table for the viewer almost from the start, and even the non-linear unfolding of the events is not a challenge to follow. We just wait with bated breath, as the suspense is built up excruciatingly slowly, like ever tightening guitar strings on the point of breaking, wondering when it is that the fiancé cottons on to what is actually going on. The viewer is amply rewarded when it is finally revealed that the fiancé was not as clueless as first thought.
The art deco look of the hotel and the porter/bellhop is delightful and made me long again for the Hercule Poirot movies I lapped up as a teenager.
I have to admit that the director has perhaps put style above substance, given the incredible attention to detail in the set styling and the obvious effort in evoking a certain era (down to the whisky glasses and bathroom hardware) juxtaposed against what is essentially a very simple story, stretched to fit an almost 90 minute frame. There is no background, no build up to the situation, and once it's over, the protagonist (perpetrator?) walks off into the night; no speculation, no follow up. This is obviously a small budget movie, as everything takes place in or around the hotel.
I am not complaining though, given the artful, deliberate and decisive direction, the more than competent acting from the entire cast (the bellhop though, is a standout and a joy to watch) and the fact that style oozes out of every pore of this movie. It would probably help if you are a fan of film noir, Hitchcock, art deco design or Agatha Christie.
Think of it as a study in effective film making on a shoe string budget, or a gorgeous, huge slice of chocolate layer cake, so artfully constructed, so delightfully delicious, that it completely satisfies, even in lieu of the main course! Bearing that in mind, and ignoring the ridiculous IMDb rating, you will probably appreciate this stylistic gem of a movie, that much more.....
The feel of the movie is fantastic - dark, seedy, brooding, almost agonisingly suspenseful (some reviewers mistook this as too "slooooooooooow" pacing)and menacing enough to make me so tense while watching that at the movie's end, my shoulders actually loosened in relief!!! There are no huge surprises or plot twists, as virtually everything is laid out on the table for the viewer almost from the start, and even the non-linear unfolding of the events is not a challenge to follow. We just wait with bated breath, as the suspense is built up excruciatingly slowly, like ever tightening guitar strings on the point of breaking, wondering when it is that the fiancé cottons on to what is actually going on. The viewer is amply rewarded when it is finally revealed that the fiancé was not as clueless as first thought.
The art deco look of the hotel and the porter/bellhop is delightful and made me long again for the Hercule Poirot movies I lapped up as a teenager.
I have to admit that the director has perhaps put style above substance, given the incredible attention to detail in the set styling and the obvious effort in evoking a certain era (down to the whisky glasses and bathroom hardware) juxtaposed against what is essentially a very simple story, stretched to fit an almost 90 minute frame. There is no background, no build up to the situation, and once it's over, the protagonist (perpetrator?) walks off into the night; no speculation, no follow up. This is obviously a small budget movie, as everything takes place in or around the hotel.
I am not complaining though, given the artful, deliberate and decisive direction, the more than competent acting from the entire cast (the bellhop though, is a standout and a joy to watch) and the fact that style oozes out of every pore of this movie. It would probably help if you are a fan of film noir, Hitchcock, art deco design or Agatha Christie.
Think of it as a study in effective film making on a shoe string budget, or a gorgeous, huge slice of chocolate layer cake, so artfully constructed, so delightfully delicious, that it completely satisfies, even in lieu of the main course! Bearing that in mind, and ignoring the ridiculous IMDb rating, you will probably appreciate this stylistic gem of a movie, that much more.....