The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

Although I found it to be a flawed film, The Third Man left me wanting more. More film noir, more Orson Welles. Hence, I decided to watch The Lady from Shanghai, as it's considered by many Welles's best film noir. 

The film follows Michael O'Hara (Orson Welles), a young Irish sailor who, after a fateful encounter with a seductive woman, Elsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth), agrees to work on the yacht of her husband, criminal lawyer Arthur Bannister (Everett Sloane). Things get a sinister turn when Bannister's law firm partner, George Grisby (Glenn Anders), comes aboard and makes Michael an offer he can't refuse: $5,000 to help him fake his death.

The Third Man (1949)

I was talking with Alex from Alex Raphael months ago (it was December 2017, it still qualifies as months ago, right?), and I learnt that The Third Man is his favourite movie. I hadn't heard of it before which didn't surprise me as my knowledge of film noirs is very limited, but after reading a great quote from the film that Alex had shared on his blog, I added it on my watchlist.

Set in the post-WWII, the film follows American pulp writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) as he arrives in Vienna to meet with an old friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles), who has offered him a job. However, he is soon told that Lime has just died in an accident, hit by a truck in front of his building. As Martins starts searching for details, he finds the circumstances very strange and begins his investigation to discover the truth. 

Woman on the Run (1950)

I don't know exactly how Woman on the Run ended up on my watchlist, especially considering I've never heard of this film before (it is possible though that someone picked it on Thursday Movie Picks, I found it interesting and added on the list). Anyway, if it's there, there must be a reason, I told myself, so I watched it. 

In San Francisco, Frank Johnson (Ross Elliott) witnesses a murder while walking his dog at night. When the police get there, he learns that the victim was about to testify in a court case against a gangster so Mr. Johnson feels from the police. The inspector (Robert Keith) in charge of the investigation asks Johnson's wife, Eleanor (Ann Sheridan), for help to find the husband and convince him to testify in court. She is convinced that Frank is only running away from their unsuccessful marriage, and, with the help of a reporter, Danny Leggett (Dennis O'Keefe), she sets out to find her husband. But the killer is also looking for him.