The File on Thelma Jordon

Barbara Stanwyck solidified her reputation as the quintessential femme fatale in this skillfully constructed noir of manipulation and doomed romance. Thelma Jordon (Stanwyck) is a glamorous woman with a sordid past who lures a married, disillusioned District Attorney (Wendell Corey) into a web of deceit. When Thelma is implicated in the murder of her wealthy aunt, the D.A. risks his career and his soul to fix the case from the inside. Siodmak’s direction infuses every frame with a sense of looming tragedy as the line between justice and desire completely unravels. Morally gray and intoxicatingly thrilling, the film’s portrayal of a “corrupted lawman” served as a primary inspiration for the high-stakes games of manipulation found in later neo-noirs like Body Heat.