The File on Thelma Jordon (1949)

Stanwyck's Web of Shadows - The File on Thelma Jordon review by griggs

The late-night knock is always a giveaway in noir, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Barbara Stanwyck slides into The File on Thelma Jordan with the kind of cool, slow-burn allure that makes even sensible men forget themselves. Wendell Corey’s district attorney knows he should walk away, but the film has fun watching him drift closer, as if hypnotised by a flame he swears he won’t touch.

Stanwyck keeps Thelma’s motives cloudy enough to draw you in, but never enough to let you settle. Corey matches her with a worn, sympathetic charm — a man caught between duty and desire, and losing ground by the minute. Their scenes together have a quiet pull that does more work than any of the later courtroom manoeuvres.

Siodmak guides the story with his usual shadowy elegance, letting the lighting and angles suggest doubts the characters won’t voice. It’s not the most hard-edged noir of its era, but it builds a steady, absorbing atmosphere. By the end, you’ve wandered into the same moral fog as everyone else — and Stanwyck is still the clearest light in the room.