Another solid little movie from the film noir gallery that was so popular in the ‘40s is Tension (1949).  It benefits from excellent performances but its real power lies in the way that director John Berry frames the story, indicating that a murderous situation could evolve from any one of us.

The protagonist, played perfectly by Richard Basehart, has married a woman (Audrey Totter) who wants more out of life than he can give her.  When she runs away with someone else, he cannot help but wish to avenge his broken heart by permanently stopping the other guy’s.  His plan is audacious, although he should have used a better disguise.  And the manner in which his past continues to dominate his present, even when he meets Cyd Charisse and she takes a liking to him, is astute.

The one angle that didn’t work so well for me is the roguish detective (Barry Sullivan) who narrates the story and eventually solves the crime.  I liked his narration, but once he enters the action Sullivan is the most amoral and despicable cop imaginable.  He manipulates everyone and doesn’t hesitate to throw suspects together to see if they’ll ignite.  And after Basehart lucidly explains the real situation to him, he refuses to believe it.

Cyd Charisse is fetching in a sympathetic, non-dancing role, and William Conrad steals scenes as Sullivan’s constantly hungry partner.  But the real star of the show is Audrey Totter, slightly over the hill but unwilling to shed her man-devouring ways.  She should have essayed this type of role more frequently.

My rating:  ☆ ☆ ☆.  (10:3).