Laura is another brilliant addition to Hollywood's golden age with its incredible screenplay and a great non linear narrative structure. While it might not reach the heights of Double Indemnity or The Third Man, it is still a fantastic motion picture.
One thing that never seems to disappoint about ( Most of ) the classic Hollywood Film-Noirs is that they have incredible writing, and Laura is no different. The dialogue that is said is most of the time highly intellectual but shockingly coherent at the same time. This is especially the case whenever Waldo Lydecker ( Clifton Webb ) comes on screen, and his character, which is the vicious columnist, fits this poetic dialogue perfectly. ( Just look at the 'lunch' scene, or his narration near the end, or the narration where he describes Laura, as all of them have a superb screenplay ) Webb's impeccable delivery of these lines also helps ofcourse, as his performance is definitely the acting highlight of the show. Dana Andrews has the perfect face for this film noir detective kind of type, and his rugged and tough mannerisms fit perfectly for his character, although at times he might appear a bit wooden. Normally i do not care much for the outer look of women in film, but since Laura ( Gene Tierney ) is supposed to be this fascinating dame that everybody becomes obsessed with, it ofcourse helps that she is a looker, as this further enhances the immersion of the audience into the picture because it becomes relatable.
The indoor set design is as per usual in the golden age in Hollywood once again stunning. The cinematography uses a lot of low key lighting to capture the sinister and mysterious feel of the film perfectly, and the decoration of the sets is very elegantly created, with a lot of classic baubles in the background so the audience has enough to see in every shot in the entire film. The narrative is top notch, as it uses unpredictable twists and flashbacks created to enhance our relationship to the characters a bit more so we know what they were like before the 'murder'. Not a lot of characters are likeable, but those that are not likeable are so in a way that they still feel as if they were real people to which this is happening to. It is also a wonderful study on compulsive obsession ( The ending will show you why ) and man's nature to make rash decisions for the sake of love.
It does seem to be a bit too hasty near its final couple of minutes, but this is a slight issue that a lot of Hollywood films from this era seem to have. The haste is only there for the ending though, as the rest of the film is still executed wonderfully. The movie has the suspense in its narrative to keep the audience extremely interested in how its final events will unfold, and this creates a non stop thrill ride along the way.
Never does Laura insult our intelligence with obvious things, and instead it respects the audience's intelligence since every character seems to be highly intelligent in it, and the unpredictability of it further enhances this. It also has fantastic acting performances ( Especially Clifton Webb ) and a superb screenplay. Although the ending might seem to sudden, this still makes for a beautifully crafted Film Noir.
