Overview
A man’s night of chance leads to a nightmare of accusations and despair.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- shadowy
- paranoid
- macabre
- classic noir night
- mystery movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly admire the film's atmospheric noir style, suspense, performances, and sound design while finding its screenplay and resolution less convincing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Scott Henderson is imprisoned after his alibi collapses, while Kansas works outside official channels to prove his innocence.
The film emphasizes shadowy streets, wet pavement, elevated-train noise, and gloomy interiors.
Scott's unnamed hat-wearing companion disappears from all corroborating memory after the murder.
Kansas doggedly follows evanescent clues while Scott is imprisoned and unable to investigate his own case.
Films like Phantom Lady, and why
The Big Sleep
shared film noir atmosphere, falsely accused protagonist, and shadowy murder investigation
Laura
shared expressionistic lighting, psychological menace, and an innocent person trapped in a criminal conspiracy
The Killers
shared urban noir setting, obsessive investigation, and fatalistic suspense
The 39 Steps
shared Hitchcockian mystery structure, disappearing evidence, and mounting paranoia
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Siodmak
- Release Date
- 1944-01-28
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (138)
Cast
- Franchot Tone
- Ella Raines
- Alan Curtis
- Aurora Miranda
- Thomas Gomez
- Fay Helm
- Elisha Cook Jr.
- Andrew Tombes
- Regis Toomey
- Joseph Crehan
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Phantom Lady about?
- A shadow-drenched noir mystery follows a secretary racing through a hostile city to rescue her wrongly imprisoned employer from a murder charge built around an impossible alibi.
- What is Phantom Lady like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Phantom Lady as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Phantom Lady violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Phantom Lady as moderate.
- What did critics think of Phantom Lady?
- Critics broadly admire the film's atmospheric noir style, suspense, performances, and sound design while finding its screenplay and resolution less convincing.
- Which films are like Phantom Lady?
- Films with a similar feel include The Big Sleep, Laura, The Killers, and The 39 Steps.
- How long is Phantom Lady?
- Phantom Lady runs 87 minutes.
- Where can I watch Phantom Lady?
- In United States, Phantom Lady is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
