Sudden Fear (1952)
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Sudden Fear Movie Review
Sudden Fear is a 1952 noir thriller film directed by David Miller and starring Joan Crawford and Jack Palance. It’s a very effective genre flick.
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“I was just wondering what I’d done to deserve you“
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When Myra Hudson discovers that her new husband is plotting to murder her for her money, she is heartbroken. However, she takes control of her life and decides to get even. This is a very underrated noir that at times resembled a modern thriller. It was particularly successful in its third act that was immensely intense and very entertaining. It aged beautifully for sure.
This movie was pretty much an acting showcase for Joan Crawford and she delivered. She has always been quite a bit expressive with her face and this role fitted her particular acting style like a glove. She overacted for sure, but it worked in this instance and she was rightfully Oscar-nominated. The movie mined so much from her performance, often focusing just on the close-ups of her face, and it worked as she sold the character’s paranoia and fear effortlessly.
Jack Palance was also very strong in one of his best roles. This is a well written villain role and he was quite eerie throughout. Gloria Grahame also delivered strong work in a small role, but one of vital importance. There is this scene between the two that the protagonist overhears and that moment was by far the highlight of the picture as it was so well executed and so menacing.
Sudden Fear definitely has a simple plot, but the execution was terrific, so they elevated this premise quite a bit. The first half was an overlong build-up unquestionably, but the second half was thrilling, riveting and very memorable.
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I have to say that the technicalities on display here are tremendous too. Not only was the black-and-white cinematography crisp and gorgeous, but the score was delightfully atmospheric and creepy. The use of sound to convey extra suspense was superb, especially the sound of a telephone ring. It’s a very good movie that deserves more attention from cinephiles.
Sudden Fear is an underrated gem of a noir thriller that was a bit too slow in the first half, but thrilling and very engaging in the second one. The flick had a simple premise, but one that was executed with great care, strong atmosphere and terrific technical aspects – the crisp black-and-white cinematography and a creepy score are its highlights. The third act was legitimately intense. This movie was obviously made with Joan Crawford in mind as it entirely relied on her naturally expressive face throughout, and she did deliver splendid work.
My Rating – 4
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