The Web (1947)
Directed by Michael Gordon

Film Review

Director Michael Gordon is best known for the light-hearted comedies that he made in the latter half of his career, upbeat crowd-pleasers such as the Rock Hudson-Doris Day vehicle Pillow Talk (1959).  Before he suffered the indignity of the Hollywood blacklist in the early 1950s for his alleged Communist leanings, Gordon was preoccupied with a very different kind of film - gritty film noir dramas that were distinguished as much by their complex plots as by their trenchant realism.  The Web is one of Gordon's more compelling films noirs, a taut, elegantly constructed crime drama that features one of the kings of noir, Edmond O'Brien, up against one of the coolest villains of the genre, a deliciously evil Vincent Price.  The Web may not be as stylishly shot and hard-edged as Gordon's other films of this period but, thanks to its mesmeric performances and some crackling dialogue, it is assuredly one of the genre's most enjoyable offerings. If only the ending hadn't been marred by some unforgiveable sleight of hand it might well have been Gordon's best film.

In common with all the finest films noirs, the plot is entirely subservient to the ambiguous relationships between the main protagonists. The Web is effectively a four-handed powerplay in which four strong-willed characters each attempt to gain the upper hand over the others. William Bendix, another habitué of classic film noir, has the force of the law behind him, but (looking like Columbo's dimmer brother) he soon proves to be the weakest and most ineffectual of the four characters.   Ella Raines' femme fatale clearly has spunk and a mind of her own, but all too easily she falls under the control of the dominant male.  Beindix and Raines are a sideshow, the main event being the understated conflict between the two leads, played to perfection by Price and O'Brien.

In later years, Vincent Price would often come under fire for his alleged scenery-chewing tendencies but in The Web he is about as subtle as a film actor can be, his oily, synthetic charm being the only clue to the calculating evil that lies beneath his character's charming persona.  Evil is at its most chilling and effective when it is shrouded in ambiguity and wears a smiling countenance - something that Price was conscious of throughout his career and employed so masterfully in his subsequent horror roles.  Never for a moment does the mask slip - it is as if Price's character is untainted by the even the merest glimmer of moral awareness.  As O'Brien and Raines are drawn ever more deeply into the murderous web that Price has woven with such ingenuity we find that it is the bad guy we end up rooting for.  Pure evil, as it is portrayed in this film by an actor who understood it better than any other, has a spellbinding allure that no one can resist.

Film Synopsis

When small time lawyer Bob Regan harangues him for a petty claim multi-millionaire businessman Andrew Colby is so impressed that he immediately offers him a job, as his personal bodyguard.  Colby explains that one of his former associates, Leopold Kroner, has just been released from prison after serving a stretch for embezzlement and he fears being the victim of Kroner's revenge.   Lured by the promise of easy money and an opportunity to get to know Colby's secretary Noel a bit better, Regan hastily accepts the assignment, but soon regrets it.  One evening, Regan hears a gunshot in Colby's study and rushes to his employer's defence.  Without a thought, he shoots Colby's assailant dead and, sure enough, it turns out to be Kroner.  Although Regan is spared a homicide charge because he apparently acted in self-defence his detective friend Damico is suspicious and makes it clear that he believes Kroner's death was cold-blooded murder.  Returning to his apartment, Regan is confronted by the dead man's daughter Martha who, convinced of his guilt, has taken it on herself to execute him.  The murder attempt fails but Regan is persuaded by Martha that Colby stage-managed Kroner's death because he posed a threat.  Realising that he is dealing with a very dangerous man, Regan ropes Noel into helping him expose Andrew Colby as a calculating murderer...