Movie Review: Another Man's Poison (1951)

Synopsis: Successful author Janet Frobisher has been separated from her criminal husband for years and lives alone in an English estate while having an affair with her secretary's fiancé. When her husband returns unexpectedly, Janet poisons him and intends to dispose of his body in the lake. However, she has another surprise visitor, George Bates, her husband's accomplice in a recent bank robbery who, upon learning her husband is dead, begins pretending to be the late Mr. Frobisher against Janet's will.

Who's in it? The movie stars Bette Davis, Gary Merrill, Emlyn Williams, Anthony Steel and Barbara Murray.


Review: I added Another Man's Poison to my movie library several weeks ago but every time I planned to watch it; I ended up picking another film instead. I finally got around to seeing it this morning and it turned out to be a great choice.

I think the thing I enjoyed best about this psychological film was how neither of the main characters was all that likeable. George (Merrill) probably could be considered the villain, but it wasn't as though Janet (Davis) was a saint either. Killing her husband may or may not have been justifiable but based on how she was carrying out an affair with a man (Steel) who was both a lot younger than her and set to be married to her secretary (Murray) with no concerns about hurting either of them, I'm not so certain she didn't enjoy the murder.

As a result of this, the movie was far from predictable because it was unclear which of the two would gain the upper hand. Every time it seemed like Janet was finding a way to end the unwanted arrangement, George would find a way to turn the tide against her. In the end, it was clear murder was the only real solution, but it wasn't clear which would be the first to pull the trigger.

I also liked how things came to a head late in the film, with both of them facing potential consequences for their actions and needing to decide whether they should work together or try to throw each other under the bus. This ultimately led to an unexpected twist that I found I really enjoyed and an ending that succeeded in giving the movie just the right amount of closure.

Final Opinion: This was a cleverly written film with some solid acting and an unpredictable, suspenseful plot. I was interested from the very beginning and satisfied with how the film ended. I'd highly recommend taking the time to watch it.

My Grade: A


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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1951:

Movie Review: The Thing From Another World (1951)

Movie Review: The Red Badge of Courage (1951)

Movie Review: Callaway Went Thataway (1951)

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