I appear to be here the only Brit. who has reviewed this 'B' film noir picture.This was the first time I had seen "The Wicked Woman" (1953), mainly because it only appears on YouTube.com and I was immediately struck by the similarity to the plot of my captioned summary title.Instead of drifter John Garfield seducing the owner's wife Lana Turner at a diner, we have a female drifter, Beverly Michaels (Billie Nash), seducing co-owner Richard Egan (Matt Bannister) who in like fashion attempts to fraudulently lure the owner away from his spouse and business.In the cuckold role instead of Cecil Kellaway, we have Evelyn Scott (Dora Bannister)as the other co-owner who likes the booze too much.I have seen the diminutive Percy Helton playing character roles several times in 50s films and here he plays a creepy character who gets to know too much of the lovers evil plot by creeping around dark alleys and such like.
The plot of "The Wicked Woman" is not as dark as my summary title and the "trouble & strife" appears to forgive her errant husband at the end of the film, whilst Billie Nash moves onto Kansas for her next fraudulent conquest.I was relieved the moral code did not kick in at the end with its predictable end for malefactors and it was this element which retained my interest.I rated it 6/10.
The plot of "The Wicked Woman" is not as dark as my summary title and the "trouble & strife" appears to forgive her errant husband at the end of the film, whilst Billie Nash moves onto Kansas for her next fraudulent conquest.I was relieved the moral code did not kick in at the end with its predictable end for malefactors and it was this element which retained my interest.I rated it 6/10.