Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- austere
- foreboding
- thought-provoking
- classic mystery night
- literary adaptation viewing
What critics said
Critics regarded the film as thought-provoking and effectively acted, while noting limited technical polish, slow pacing, and occasionally trite dialogue.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Inspector Poole visits the Birling household and reconstructs the dead girl's circumstances by questioning each family member.
The inspector's inquiries connect an upper-class family to the vulnerable woman's exploitation and death.
The Birling family's formal dinner and engagement atmosphere deteriorate as hidden conduct is disclosed.
The 1912 setting contrasts upper-crust privilege with the precarious life of a young working woman.
Films like An Inspector Calls, and why
The Murderer Lives at Number 21
contained drawing-room mystery, class critique, and moral interrogation
The Spiral Staircase
black-and-white mystery drama centered on guilt, suspicion, and social respectability
The Little Foxes
adapted stage drama using a family gathering to expose concealed wrongdoing
Movie Details
- Director
- Guy Hamilton
- Release Date
- 1954-03-16
- Runtime
- 80 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (112)
Cast
- Alastair Sim
- Olga Lindo
- Arthur Young
- Brian Worth
- Eileen Moore
- Bryan Forbes
- Jane Wenham
- George Woodbridge
- Barbara Everest
- Charles Saynor
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- BFI Player Amazon Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is An Inspector Calls about?
- At an Edwardian family dinner, an enigmatic inspector turns a suspicious death into a devastating audit of privilege and responsibility.
- What is An Inspector Calls like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of An Inspector Calls as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is An Inspector Calls violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in An Inspector Calls as mild.
- What did critics think of An Inspector Calls?
- Critics regarded the film as thought-provoking and effectively acted, while noting limited technical polish, slow pacing, and occasionally trite dialogue.
- Which films are like An Inspector Calls?
- Films with a similar feel include The Murderer Lives at Number 21, The Spiral Staircase, and The Little Foxes.
- How long is An Inspector Calls?
- An Inspector Calls runs 80 minutes.
- Where can I watch An Inspector Calls?
- In United States, An Inspector Calls streams on BFI Player Amazon Channel.
