MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Witness in the City

Witness in the City

1959 · 89 min

A cool, shadowy French noir that simmers with quiet resentment and slow-burning tension rather than flashy thrills.

Overview
Industrialist Pierre Verdier kills his mistress Jeanne Ancelin by throwing her off a train. Her husband, Ancelin, decides to take revenge on his wife's murderer, who has been acquitted by justice.
In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
    Pacing
    measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
    Attention
    engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
    Themes
    • revenge
    • justice
    • betrayal
    • guilt
    • class
    Places
    • big city
    Era
    contemporary
    Audience
    adult
    Form
    None
    Content intensity
    • Gore none
    • Language mild
    • Violence mild
    • Sex mild
    All scales, 0 to 10
    Scales, 0 to 10
    ScaleValue0 to 10
    Action4
    Horror2
    Humour2
    Realism7
    Romance2
    Tension6
    Darkness6
    Complexity5
    Emotional weight6

    More like this

    Titles like Witness in the City

    TV series

    Lupin

    2021

    A sleek, playful cat-and-mouse caper that glides through Paris with charm, clever disguises and a steady tug of personal stakes.

    About revenge and justice

    Via
    • revenge
    • justice
    Pacing
    brisk
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    3
    Details In your watch list
    LupinHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Le Jugement de minuit

    1933

    A shadowy, talky old-dark-house thriller where the police wait and the threat hangs heavy.

    About revenge and justice

    Via
    • revenge
    • justice
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    95 min
    Details In your watch list
    Le Jugement de minuitHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Pasha

    1968

    A gritty, slow-burning crime drama that follows a determined detective through the shadowy underworld of Paris, balancing tension with a sense of melancholy.

    About revenge and justice

    Via
    • revenge
    • justice
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    90 min
    Details In your watch list
    PashaHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Act of Aggression

    1975

    A cold, methodical descent into grief and vengeance that lingers on the grim mechanics of retribution.

    About revenge and justice

    Via
    • revenge
    • justice
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    101 min
    Details In your watch list
    Act of AggressionHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    La adúltera

    1956

    A tense, old-fashioned melodrama of wounded pride and quiet scheming, played with theatrical intensity and a slow, brooding pull.

    About revenge and betrayal

    Via
    • revenge
    • betrayal
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    90 min
    Details In your watch list
    La adúlteraHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Elevator to the Gallows

    1958

    A cool, jazz-soaked descent into fatalistic longing, where small mistakes spiral into tragedy with quiet, hypnotic inevitability.

    Same cinematographer: Henri Decaë · About betrayal and guilt

    Also
    Same cinematographer: Henri Decaë
    Via
    • betrayal
    • guilt
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    92 min
    Details In your watch list
    Elevator to the GallowsHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Guilty?

    1951

    A somber, talky French mystery that leans on moral dilemma and courtroom dread rather than action.

    About justice and betrayal

    Via
    • justice
    • betrayal
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    83 min
    Details In your watch list
    Guilty?Hidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Black List

    1984

    A grim, fast-moving tale of a mother's grief turning into cold vengeance against the criminals who destroyed her family.

    About revenge and justice

    Via
    • revenge
    • justice
    Pacing
    brisk
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    83 min
    Details In your watch list
    Black ListHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    The Body of My Enemy

    1976

    A cool, deliberate French crime drama that simmers with quiet resentment and class tension, rewarding patience with a satisfyingly bitter payoff.

    About revenge and justice

    Via
    • revenge
    • justice
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    120 min
    Details In your watch list
    The Body of My EnemyHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Troll

    2021

    A slow-burning, brooding crime drama that simmers with quiet tension and the heavy weight of retaliation.

    About revenge and justice

    Via
    • revenge
    • justice
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    109 min
    Details In your watch list
    TrollHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Within the Law

    1939

    A brisk, old-fashioned revenge yarn that moves quickly through scheming and courtroom-adjacent twists without demanding much of the viewer.

    About revenge and justice

    Via
    • revenge
    • justice
    Pacing
    brisk
    Attention
    easy-watch
    Runtime
    65 min
    Details In your watch list
    Within the LawHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Short Cut to Hell

    1957

    A lean, shadowy noir chase that moves with grim efficiency, trading glamour for a cold, workmanlike tension. It's a familiar story told straight, more dutiful than electric.

    About revenge and betrayal

    Via
    • revenge
    • betrayal
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    89 min
    Details In your watch list
    Short Cut to HellHidden 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, thriller
    Directed by
    Édouard Molinaro
    Written by
    Gérard Oury, Édouard Molinaro, Alain Poiré
    Starring
    Lino Ventura, Jacques Berthier, Daniel Ceccaldi, Robert Dalban, Micheline Luccioni, Franco Fabrizi, Janine Darcey, Jacques Monod
    Music
    Barney Wilen
    Cinematography
    Henri Decaë
    Runtime
    89 min
    Country
    France, Italy
    Languages
    French

    TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikidata