DbcultAccessing Vault...
6.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Women in His Life remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies where men in sharp suits stare intensely at documents while sweating, you’ll probably find something to enjoy here. It’s definitely not for people who need constant action or modern pacing. If you get bored by long conversations in dim offices, maybe skip it.
Otto Kruger is playing the lead, and honestly, he looks like he hasn’t slept in a week. That works perfectly for a guy whose past just showed up on a morgue slab.
The whole movie has this weird, claustrophobic feeling. It doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be a masterpiece, just a solid story about a guy getting his life wrecked by his own history.
There’s a scene where he’s looking at evidence, and the way he just drops his head—it felt incredibly real. Not the 'acting' kind of real, but the 'I’m actually exhausted' kind.
It’s funny, I couldn't help but think about how much simpler the stakes felt compared to something like Out of the Storm. Everything here is tied to this one guy's regret.
The pacing is a little uneven. Sometimes we zoom through a legal breakthrough, other times we sit on a reaction shot for so long I started looking at the wallpaper patterns in the background. Is that a patterned curtain? Yes, it is. It’s very distracting.
Also, the supporting cast is huge. It feels like half the actors in Hollywood at the time were squeezed into this script. Some of them have like, two lines and then just vanish. Maybe they had to catch a train?
It isn't as high-energy as Ship Ahoy, but it’s got a different kind of tension. It’s like watching someone walk on thin ice.
Ultimately, it’s a decent watch if you don’t mind a bit of melodrama. Just don't expect it to change your life. 🕵️♂️