The Clairvoyant: Claude Rains is worth the price of admission

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school British thrillers that lean heavy on atmosphere and snappy dialogue, you’ll probably have a good time with The Clairvoyant. It’s definitely not for folks who need constant action or modern pacing. If you get bored when people are just sitting in rooms talking about their feelings, look elsewhere. But if you want to see Claude Rains carry a whole movie on his back? You’re in the right place.

There’s this moment early on where Rains is doing his stage act, pretending to read minds, and he’s just so oily and charming. It’s the kind of performance that makes you wonder if he’s actually a genius or just a really good liar. He’s the anchor here. Without him, I’m not sure the middle section would hold together at all.

The plot kicks in when he meets Fay Wray. It’s a bit of a classic trope—the skeptic who accidentally finds magic—but they have enough chemistry to make it feel less like a setup and more like a messy mistake. Honestly, some of the supporting cast feel like they wandered in from a different movie entirely. There’s a lot of shouting from men in suits that felt a little bit like a throwback to something like The Thirteenth Chair, though maybe not as fun.

Notes from the couch

• The stage scenes are actually really well lit. You can practically smell the stale cigarette smoke in the theater.
• I spent about ten minutes trying to figure out if the coat he wears in the second act is supposed to be symbolic or if he just really liked that style.
• Some of the special effects for the 'visions' are hilariously dated, but they have a certain charm. It’s better than bad CGI, anyway.
• There’s a train sequence that goes on for a while. It’s a bit clunky, but it reminded me of the tension building in Blind Date, just without the same stakes.

The movie hits a weird snag near the end where it feels like the writers suddenly remembered they needed to wrap up the mystery. It gets a little frantic. It’s not quite as tight as The World Against Him, but it’s still interesting to watch it stumble toward the finish line. 🍿

I wasn't a fan of how quickly the police show up and start acting like they know everything. Classic movie cops, I guess. Still, seeing Rains look truly terrified when he realizes he can’t stop a future event? That’s gold. It’s the kind of acting you don't really see anymore.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s a bit uneven, sure. But it’s got a personality, and I’ll take that over a perfectly polished, boring film any day of the week.