An extraordinary dark film about three strangers who share a sweepstakes ticket. All their shabby personal secrets are shown in the course of the film. The instigator Mrs. Shackelford, a cold, manipulative, psychotic woman is brilliantly played by Geraldine Fitzgerald. Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet are well-cast as the other two ticket holders. Other reviewers have pointed out that that this film is a companion film to the Maltese Falcon. It's a better, more sophisticated film and more adult in its resolution. Although the film was made in 1946, it was intentionally set in 1938. This gives the film an air of foreboding; we know, but the characters don't, about the horrors of the world war that lies ahead of them. Peter Lorre, in particular is excellent as Johnny West, an alcoholic and small-time criminal who gets framed by one of his cronies. He even has a girlfriend (which I've never seen him with on screen before). And Fitzgerald is lethal as the crazed Mrs. Shackelford. My god, she's irritating in the way only narcissistic crazy people can be.
Review of Three Strangers
