The defence The Big-Idea Head
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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The Reckless Moment
Drama · Thriller · Crime · 1949
After discovering the dead body of her teenage daughter's lover, a housewife takes desperate measures to protect her family from scandal.
Movie details
The Reckless Moment
“It could happen to so many married women!”
1949 Drama · Thriller · Crime 1h 22m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.8 / 10
Community rating
After discovering the dead body of her teenage daughter's lover, a housewife takes desperate measures to protect her family from scandal.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Reckless Moment?
For the defence
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Born to Kill
Crime · 1947
A calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with a hotheaded murderer.
Each Dawn I Die
Crime · 1939
A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.
The Hitch-Hiker
Thriller · 1953
Roy and Gilbert's fishing trip takes a terrifying turn when the hitchhiker they pick up turns out to be a sociopath on the run from the law. He's killed before, and he lets the two know that as soon as they're no longer useful, he'll kill again. The two friends plot an escape, but the hitchhiker's peculiar physical affliction, an eye that never closes even when he sleeps, makes it impossible for them to tell when they can make a break for it.
The File on Thelma Jordon
Thriller · 1949
Cleve Marshall, an assistant district attorney, falls for Thelma Jordon, a mysterious woman with a troubled past. When Thelma becomes a suspect in her aunt's murder, Cleve tries to clear her name.
Witness to Murder
Crime · 1954
A woman fights to convince the police that she witnessed a murder while looking out her bedroom window.
The Locket
Drama · 1946
A dark personal secret drives a young woman to use every man she encounters.
A Kiss Before Dying
Thriller · 1956
A college student tries to get rich quick by wooing two wealthy sisters.
The Dark Past
Crime · 1948
A gang hold a family hostage in their own home. The leader of the escaped cons is bothered by a recurring dream that the doctor of the house may be able to analyze.
Cause for Alarm!
Thriller · 1951
A bedridden and gravely ill man believes his wife and doctor are conspiring to kill him, and outlines his suspicions in a letter.
Seeds of Yesterday
TV Movie · 2015
The Sheffield family reveal and go through some home truths as their middle child inherits the Foxworth mansion. The family's ghosts looming over, and more tragedies are in store as the curse lives on.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Max Ophüls
Written by
Henry Garson · Elisabeth Sanxay Holding · Robert Soderberg
James Mason
Martin Donnelly
Joan Bennett
Lucia Harper
Geraldine Brooks
Bea Harper
Henry O'Neill
Tom Harper
Shepperd Strudwick
Ted Darby
D
David Bair
David Harper
Roy Roberts
Nagel
Court is in session
Put The Reckless Moment on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.