Laura (1944)

Laura (1944) is a classic film-noir murder mystery centered on Detective Lieutenant Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews), who becomes obsessed with solving the apparent murder of glamorous advertising executive Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney). Found shot in her apartment, Laura’s death quickly draws McPherson into a web of desire, jealousy and duplicity as he interviews the people closest to her: the controlling, eloquent columnist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), the charming but unfaithful fiancé Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price), Laura’s wealthy aunt and household companions. Each has motive and secrets, and Laura’s portrait and personal papers become touchstones for McPherson’s increasingly romanticized image of the dead woman. The investigation unfolds as an atmospheric, character-driven whodunit. As McPherson pieces together Laura’s life from interviews, diary entries and impressions, the film plays with illusion and obsession—who Laura really was, and who the men in her life want her to be. Midway through the story a drastic turn forces the detective to rethink everything he believes about the case, raising the stakes and twisting the mystery in unexpected directions. Viewers will experience a moody, elegant noir: smoky interiors, sharp black-and-white cinematography, crisp, often wry dialogue, and a sense of mounting suspense. Performances—especially Tierney’s elusive presence and Webb’s polished, poisonous charm—heighten the film’s themes of attraction and duplicity. If you watch Laura, expect an absorbing blend of mystery and romance, a memorable central mystery that keeps you guessing, and a haunting atmosphere that lingers long after the final reveal.

Actors: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb

Director: Otto Preminger

Runtime: 88 min

Genres: Drama, Film-Noir, Mystery

8.1 /10 7.9 /10 8.0 /10