Review of The Man Who Cheated Himself

This film noir flick begins with a simply horrible acting performance by Jane Wyatt--perhaps some of this might be the result of how the part was written. While she could do fine work, this was NOT her shining moment. In a wildly histrionic scene, she shoots her husband and her cop lover (Lee J. Cobb) is a witness to the killing. She claims it was in self-defense but the scene was just handled poorly. Could the rest of the film make up for this goofy scene? And, will her lover get away with making it look like he was killed elsewhere by someone else? And, what happens after Cobb throws the gun in the harbor AND someone is soon killed with this very gun? Well, fortunately it DID get better. While it's not among the best film of the genre, it was interesting and reasonably well made. Aside from Miss Wyatt's occasionally histrionic acting, the story was good and there is little to dislike. And, although I disliked Wyatt in the beginning, the way the film ended was great--and her character really worked well in this dandy finale in the courthouse. Well worth seeing.