Mystery Street: John Sturges

Don't let anybody trick you into thinking that the star of John Sturges' Mystery Street is Ricardo Montalban or Marshall Thompson. No, the true star here is Elsa Lanchester as Mrs. Smerrling, the prying, nosy, and ruthlessly opportunistic landlady who makes the film's biggest impression despite being a supporting character. Not since her turn as the Bride of Frankenstein has Lanchester been so fascinatingly devious onscreen. On its own, the plot of Mystery Street is very compelling: a standard story of a decent man who gets stuck with a murder rap for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. There are some fascinating scenes at the Harvard Medical School where we are introduced to forensic science and how it can be used to identify victims, time of death, and cause of death. These scenes predate other forensic procedurals like Michael Mann's Manhunter (1988) and the various CSI television shows in their nearly fetishistic approach to this branch of science. Massachusetts gumshoe cop Peter Morales (played by the always fantastic Montalban) then steals the narrative's focus for most of the rest of the film as he puts all of the case's pieces together. But every single time Lanchester shows up the audience squirms in their seats because they know that she is about to do something manipulative, ballsy, and stupid. My favorite examples? Where she tries to blackmail a murderous criminal twice while hamming it up as a poor, tired old lady who could really use a trip to Paris and maybe Venice, New York, and London while you're at it. Mystery Street is a wonderful film that could have easily survived without Mrs. Smerrling. But she is the delectable cherry on the top of a great noir sundae. Delicious!

7/10