MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Pretender

The Pretender

1947 · 69 min

A tight, shadowy little noir that keeps you leaning in as a schemer's plan coils back on him.

Tagline
A blueprint for murder!
Overview
Story of an investment agent who embezzles a large sum from an estate, hoping to cover his crime by marrying the estate's heiress. The girl is already engaged, so he arranges to have the fiance killed. A mix up involving the society section of the newspaper places him in the sights of his own hired gun.

Search YouTube for the trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • crime
  • greed
  • betrayal
  • fate
  • guilt
Places
  • big city
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror2
Humour2
Realism7
Romance3
Tension7
Darkness7
Complexity5
Emotional weight5

More like this

Titles like The Pretender

Movie

Double Indemnity

1944

A sleek, shadowy descent into temptation and betrayal, told with sharp wit and mounting dread.

Tense, dark · about crime and greed · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • crime
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
107 min
Details In your watch list
Double IndemnityHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Killing

1956

A taut, fatalistic heist thriller that tightens like a noose, its clockwork plot and doomed characters leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Tense, dark, brisk · about crime and greed

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • crime
  • greed
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
85 min
Details In your watch list
The KillingHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Dial M for Murder

1954

A taut, stage-bound cat-and-mouse game where elegant conversation conceals cold calculation, keeping you leaning in to catch every clue.

Tense, dark · about crime and greed · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • crime
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
105 min
Details In your watch list
Dial M for MurderHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Too Late for Tears

1949

A taut, cynical noir that tightens like a vise as greed and paranoia spiral into murder, leaving a cold, uneasy aftertaste.

Tense, dark, brisk · about crime and greed · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • crime
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
99 min
Details In your watch list
Too Late for TearsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Man Who Cheated Himself

1950

A tense, shadowy noir that tightens like a vise as loyalty and guilt collide.

Tense, dark · about crime and betrayal · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • crime
  • betrayal
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
81 min
Details In your watch list
The Man Who Cheated HimselfHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Horas marcadas

1954

A slow, shadowed study of cold calculation, watching a schemer circle his prey with quiet dread.

Tense, dark · about crime and greed

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • crime
  • greed
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
88 min
Details In your watch list
Horas marcadasHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Maltese Falcon

1941

A shadowy, quick-witted noir that keeps you leaning in as lies pile on lies and desire collides with duty.

Tense, dark · about greed and betrayal · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • greed
  • betrayal
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
100 min
Details In your watch list
The Maltese FalconHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Double Jeopardy

1955

A tight, black-and-white crime programmer that moves quickly through double-crosses and moral murk, never quite escaping its B-movie origins.

Same writer: Don Martin · Tense, cynical, brisk · about crime and betrayal · twist ending

Also
Same writer: Don Martin
Via
  • tense
  • cynical
  • crime
  • betrayal
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
70 min
Details In your watch list
Double JeopardyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Killers

1946

A shadowy, fatalistic noir that draws you into a doomed man's past through a dogged investigation, rich with betrayal and moody atmosphere.

Tense, dark · about crime and betrayal · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • crime
  • betrayal
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
103 min
Details In your watch list
The KillersHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Asphalt Jungle

1950

A slow, shadowy descent into a doomed heist, where every character is trapped by circumstance and the tension never lets up.

Tense, dark · about crime and greed

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • crime
  • greed
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
113 min
Details In your watch list
The Asphalt JungleHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Last Seduction

1994

A sleek, nasty neo-noir that keeps you off-balance with its icy, manipulative protagonist and sharp, darkly funny twists.

Tense, dark, brisk · about crime and greed · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • crime
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
110 min
Details In your watch list
The Last SeductionHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A Perfect Murder

1998

A sleek, tense cat-and-mouse thriller that keeps you guessing with its twists and turns.

Tense, dark, brisk · about crime and greed · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • crime
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
107 min
Details In your watch list
A Perfect MurderHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
crime, drama, thriller
Directed by
W. Lee Wilder
Written by
Don Martin
Starring
Albert Dekker, Catherine Craig, Charles Drake, Alan Carney, Linda Stirling, Tom Kennedy, Selmer Jackson, Charles Middleton
Cinematography
John Alton
Runtime
69 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata