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7.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Fugitive Lady remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Look, if you are the kind of person who enjoys 1940s B-movies where the plot happens because everyone is allergic to just telling the truth, then sure, dive in. This isn't high art, but it's not trying to be. If you get annoyed by characters making the absolute worst decisions possible, just stay away. You'll spend the whole runtime yelling at your screen.
The whole setup with the train crash is one of those classic screenwriting shortcuts that makes me chuckle. Poof, new identity. It’s like the writers just threw up their hands and said, “Let’s just move on to the house scenes.” It works, though, because it gets us to the mansion quickly.
I found myself watching the background actors more than the leads sometimes. There's this one scene in the parlor where a woman in the back is clearly just waiting for her cue to leave the frame, and she lingers just a second too long. It’s weirdly distracting but I loved it.
There is a lot of frantic energy here. People are constantly hiding behind doors or ducking into shadows. It feels like a high-stakes version of hide-and-seek played by adults who really should know better.
It reminded me a bit of the frantic pacing in The Matrimonial Bed, where everything is just a little bit too loud and a little bit too fast. But that’s the charm, right? It’s a movie that knows it has to get the job done before the hour mark hits.
Lucille Ball is in this, and honestly, she’s the only one who seems to know exactly what kind of movie she’s in. She’s got this sharp, cynical edge that cuts right through the melodrama. Everyone else is playing it like they’re in a Greek tragedy while she’s just trying to survive the scene.
The ending is pure fluff, but I wasn't really expecting a moral lesson anyway. It just kind of stops, which is probably for the best. 🤷♂️