The Lady from Shanghai (1948)

Featured Audience Ratings

• First L

  
  Orson Welles stars in and directs this tale of sharks in the water, cannibalizing one another in a bloody frenzy. Actually, the sharks are human in nature and Michael (Welles) or "Black Irish" as he is also known, is stuck observing them in all their horrific glory. When… More
  Orson Welles stars in and directs this tale of sharks in the water, cannibalizing one another in a bloody frenzy. Actually, the sharks are human in nature and Michael (Welles) or "Black Irish" as he is also known, is stuck observing them in all their horrific glory. When Michael defends a beautiful blonde (Rita Hayworth) from being mugged in the park, she gets her wealthy husband, famed lawyer Arthur Bannister (Everett Sloane) to hire him to work on their yacht. While Bannister at first glance appears to be a bit of a milquetoast, as things progress, we see he's more conniving than he appears. "You're quite a tough guy" he says of Black Irish, who's pretty good with his fists, but as we find out, Bannister's bank role makes him a "tough guy" too. Things are very convenient for Michael on this yacht, the husband seemingly turns a blind eye to the flirtations of his wife with the new ships hand. When Bannister's partner arrives to join the vacationers, he propositions Michael with some sort of "foolproof" insurance scam that seems anything but. Director Orson Welles develops a taught little noir here, but it's nothing extraordinary to get worked up about. Everett Sloane gives a great performance, but the whole thing doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

• Chris W

  
  Even thoug hthis film came out several decades before it, I can't help but compare this movie to Fargo to an extent. This might be a more pure film noir than that one, but they both are very similar in their dealings with an average guy caught up in a scheme that can't… More
  Even thoug hthis film came out several decades before it, I can't help but compare this movie to Fargo to an extent. This might be a more pure film noir than that one, but they both are very similar in their dealings with an average guy caught up in a scheme that can't possibly go in any direction but a bad one. They're both complex twisty turny mystery films made by great directors with great sense of style and visuals, but for me, as solid of a film as this is, I think that Fargo is my winner. This is still a top notch film though. It's not as legendary or brilliant as Citizen Kane or Touch of Evil, but this is definitely the bronze medal winner among those two, and, considering those two films, being in 3rd isn't too shabby at all. Michael O'Hara is a guy with a tainted background and has experience with nautical related thigns, He goes to work for a guy and his wife, and, not only does he fall for the lady, he gets caught up in a shady murder plot involving the husband. Plot twists abound, and this was easier to follow than most similar type of films, but I feel like the script could have been more clear and polished. And, being Welles, this film looks fantastic and has some brilliant images and cinematography, with the absolute highlight being the surreal climactic shooutout in a hall of mirrors maze at an amusement park. That sequence alone is the main elling point for why this movie should be seen. However, for the scene to have the most impact you do need to watch the rest of it. Doing that last bit isn't a problem, but if you've seen Welles before ,you know that you really have to be in the right mindset to enjoy his work, since he, like LKubrick, was one of those brilliant, but very polarizing filmmakers who might have been perhaps a bit too headtrong in their vision. The performances are fine though, and it cracks me up that this film caused controversy since Welles convinced Rita Hayworth to not only cut her fiery red hair short, but to dye it blonde as well. All in all, a decent, though not perfect film noir mystery thriller.

• Bruce B

  
  .This is an excellent Orson Wells film with a beautiful Rita Hayworth, actress of the by gone era will never be matched by the female movie starts of today. They are just candles in the wind. This movie has so many twist and turns which will keep you guessing throughout the film,… More
  .This is an excellent Orson Wells film with a beautiful Rita Hayworth, actress of the by gone era will never be matched by the female movie starts of today. They are just candles in the wind. This movie has so many twist and turns which will keep you guessing throughout the film, Orson plays the rich mans aid who falls in love with the rich mans wife, is she in love with him or leading him to a death trap, only you watching the film will the answer be found. Nothing short of 5 stars. 4-5-12

• Stefanie C

  
  Welles can do no wrong!

• AJ V

  
  A good movie about a guy who gets involved with another man's wife, and finds out the husband wants him to be part of some crazy scheme. See it for yourself, it's good.

• Randy T

  
  <i>Citizen Kane</i> may have been Orson Welles' biggest blessing but it was also his biggest curse. Having such a masterpiece as your very first film is a hard thing to follow-up. It's understandable that everything Welles did post-Kane was a step down. The… More
  <i>Citizen Kane</i> may have been Orson Welles' biggest blessing but it was also his biggest curse. Having such a masterpiece as your very first film is a hard thing to follow-up. It's understandable that everything Welles did post-Kane was a step down. The problem is, at least in my estimation, that Welles sometimes tried too hard. He wanted all his characters to be interesting and what resulted was often surreal. Here, his narrated and self-portrayed main character was supposed to be a sap, a sucker, but he's so insightful and introspective that I have a hard time understanding how he falls for such an obvious set-up. Without giving too much away, the Welles character is framed for murder in a plot that has about as much subtlety as an oncoming freight train. Strangely, watching Welles play the patsy for a beautiful woman made me appreciate Fred MacMurray (<i>Double Indemnity</i>) even more. Having said all that, I still feel that <i>The Lady from Shanghai</i> is a work of art and a landmark in classic noir cinema. The climatic final scene in the deserted fun house is pure Wellesian genius, even if it is a bit of style-over-substance.

• Morgan S

  
  great twist at the end! Orson Welles with a Irish accent is HOT!! sooo sexy! ;)

• danny d

  
  ultimately this film doesnt really hold up under the closest scrutiny, but it is still very well done. rita hayworth was never more beautiful and the plot was formulated to provide great intrigue until the end. a solid addition to the wells filmography.

• Pierluigi P

  
  with this low budget noir gem Welles shows his guts once more, by giving it his essential expresionistic style, and also because he cut and dyed the hair or the gorgeous Rita Hayworth. marvelous.

• Aaron N

  
  Michael O'Hara: Maybe I'll live so long that I'll forget her. Maybe I'll die trying. A film noir from director and star Orson Welles, playing an Irish man of questionable background. An normaly long red haired, but very blonde and short haired Rita Hayworth also… More
  Michael O'Hara: Maybe I'll live so long that I'll forget her. Maybe I'll die trying. A film noir from director and star Orson Welles, playing an Irish man of questionable background. An normaly long red haired, but very blonde and short haired Rita Hayworth also stars as the essential female of desire. The plot is needlessly complicated, but suffice it to say Welles gets a job aboard a ship, and some people want others dead and he is involved. The fun of this movie comes from the rapid fire dialogue, that is a lot of fun, as is the whole movie. It's short, entertaining, with some good performances. Mrs. Elsa 'Rosalie' Bannister: I don't know how to shoot? Michael O'Hara: It's easy, you just pull the trigger.

• Michael G

  
  The house of mirrors scene makes this movie.

• Mike N

  
  With a steely Oscar Welles and his Irish brogue and a dangerously sexy Rita Hayworth, The Lady From Shanghai bleeds noir profusely, even if it does whirl the lasso of confusion a little too frequently at times. As a former resident of San Francisco, it was a joy to see so much of the… More
  With a steely Oscar Welles and his Irish brogue and a dangerously sexy Rita Hayworth, The Lady From Shanghai bleeds noir profusely, even if it does whirl the lasso of confusion a little too frequently at times. As a former resident of San Francisco, it was a joy to see so much of the lovely city explored as the plot of the film unfolded and then unraveled, climaxing in a truly Hitchcockian display of psychological metaphors, literally mirroring the key characters / suspects. As heretic as this may sound, this film may very well hold up to a modern remake, given how strong the script is, rife with devil-may-care dialogue and scene-capping star turns. Very good movie indeed.

• Mike T

  
  No, this film isn't on the same level as the flawless Citizen Kane. But there is definite appeal here in the creative camerawork, the inventive screenplay and the enthusiastic direction. The conclusion in a hall of mirrors is dazzlingly shot and edited (although the rest of the… More
  No, this film isn't on the same level as the flawless Citizen Kane. But there is definite appeal here in the creative camerawork, the inventive screenplay and the enthusiastic direction. The conclusion in a hall of mirrors is dazzlingly shot and edited (although the rest of the film is admittedly mediocre in the area of editing).

• Emily B

  
  The story lost me after a certain point, but it's full of style and constantly inventive. I still couldn't get used to Welles' accent though...

• Tom S

  
  At first I thought Welles just hurriedly threw this one together. Then I learned that the studio hurriedly tore it apart. Still, it felt careless and rushed so I can't rate it real high.

• MJS M

  
  A really good Orson Welles film the late forties. A really solid little film noir with all the great style and atmosphere you expect. There are a number of great scenes including the absolutely classic finale in a house of mirrors. Some of the acting is also a bit hammy, and I… More
  A really good Orson Welles film the late forties. A really solid little film noir with all the great style and atmosphere you expect. There are a number of great scenes including the absolutely classic finale in a house of mirrors. Some of the acting is also a bit hammy, and I really wish Welles hadn?t bothered with the fake Irish accent. The story doesn?t make a whole lot of sense, but it is more coherent than some of its contemporaries like The Big Sleep. Reportedly there was nearly an hour cut out by the studio (Orson Welles was the Terry Gilliam of his day when it came to dealing with studios), so if that?s ever recovered this may end up even better than it currently is.

• Linda K

  
  As usual, Welles cinematography is always interesting but the story is not as captivating. Since The Magnificant Ambersons, it seems as Welles' stories are falling apart and not as constructive as before. But Im not too disappointed regarding the visuals. And for all you… More
  As usual, Welles cinematography is always interesting but the story is not as captivating. Since The Magnificant Ambersons, it seems as Welles' stories are falling apart and not as constructive as before. But Im not too disappointed regarding the visuals. And for all you fellas out there, the leading lady of the film, Rita Hayworth, is the definition of beauty, elegant and sexy!

• Marion R

  
  I love this movie, even though in the middle of the movie Orson loses his accent it's still great fun!

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