Strangler's Web

Strangler's Web is an interesting story about a murder that is not nearly as open-and-shut as it first seems. The characters are unconventional and are well-drawn by both the screenplay and the actors while the investigation into what really happened trawls through various strata of British society.

The opening scene where the murder takes place borrows ideas from the pre-credit sequence of From Russia With Love. The murdered woman's common-law husband is found at the scene and is the obvious suspect. A solicitor with a drink problem and a tendency to beat his wife is appointed to prepare the defence. He finds that the suspect's conduct towards the murdered woman was not unlike his own towards his wife. He pulls himself together and gets to work. He comes across a wide variety of people including a confidence trickster, an air-brained young woman and a disfigured ex-matinée idol.

Not a moment is wasted in Strangler's Web and the pace never lets up. As were the other films in this Edgar Wallace series, the movie is well- photographed and edited.