For some unaccountable reason, this brilliantly plotted crime drama has been consistently under-appreciated for decades. Its offbeat story is full of the kind of suspenseful moments and wonderful twists that make it riveting to watch and its conclusion is both unpredictable and deeply ironic. Unsurprisingly, for a film noir, greed, adultery and a murder trial feature strongly and the confusion that exists over the identities of a couple of dead bodies adds further intrigue to the whole proceedings.
Larry Ballentine (Robert Young) is a young man who's on trial for the murder of his girlfriend Verna Carlson (Susan Hayward). In court, he's openly described by his own defence lawyer, as being heartless, shameful and cruel, however, the lawyer also asserts that his client, despite his character-flaws, certainly isn't a murderer and to convince the jury of this, the defendant is invited to the stand to give his account of the events that culminated in the death of Miss Carlson.
Larry explains that despite being married to Gretta (Rita Johnson), who's a beautiful, wealthy and refined society lady, he also used to regularly meet magazine writer Janice Bell (Jane Greer) in a New York City restaurant on Saturday afternoons where they enjoyed drinks together and conversations about their shared interest in boats. Their feelings for each other became a problem when Janice announced that she could no longer carry on their relationship in secret and so had arranged to be transferred to her magazine's Montreal office. Larry told her that his marriage had become dysfunctional and that he intended to divorce Gretta. The couple then agreed to meet that evening to catch the night train to Montreal.
Back home when Larry was packing his case, Gretta told him that she was aware that he hadn't been happy for some time and so had purchased a partnership for him in a Los Angeles investment brokerage and had rented a house for them in Beverly Hills. Larry, who'd married his wife for her money and social standing, found this prospect too good to refuse and so simply stood Janice up and moved to California. There, in his new job, a secretary called Verna Carlson caught his eye and soon they started an affair but when Gretta found out, she reacted by selling her share in the brokerage and allowed Larry to decide if he wanted to move with her to a mountain ranch that she'd purchased . Again, he followed the money but soon felt trapped living in such a remote location without even a telephone to enable him to keep contact with the outside world and so, when he got an opportunity, he contacted Verna and rekindled their relationship.
In court, Larry then goes on to describe in detail how this decision led to the deaths of both Verna and Gretta and to him facing a murder charge.
As Larry's story is told, it becomes clear that he's a parasitic playboy with no integrity, work-ethic or concern for anyone else but himself. Furthermore, he's a serial adulterer who has no qualms about planning to relieve his wife of the money from her bank account or planning to murder her. Strangely, for someone with so many reprehensible qualities, he's portrayed in this movie as an affable and rather friendly guy who doesn't suffer any kind of regrets or pangs of conscience about his behaviour until he winds up in court. Robert Young's marvellous portrayal of this character makes him surprisingly sympathetic and as a result adds an extra layer of enjoyment to this superb movie. The supporting cast also provide good performances with Rita Johnson, Jane Greer and Susan Hayward all perfect in their important roles.
"They Won't Believe Me" is visually strong with some high-angle camera shots and expressionistic cinematography which contribute strongly to its atmosphere. Its strongest features however, are its plot and its sharply written script which brings the action to life so effectively.
Larry Ballentine (Robert Young) is a young man who's on trial for the murder of his girlfriend Verna Carlson (Susan Hayward). In court, he's openly described by his own defence lawyer, as being heartless, shameful and cruel, however, the lawyer also asserts that his client, despite his character-flaws, certainly isn't a murderer and to convince the jury of this, the defendant is invited to the stand to give his account of the events that culminated in the death of Miss Carlson.
Larry explains that despite being married to Gretta (Rita Johnson), who's a beautiful, wealthy and refined society lady, he also used to regularly meet magazine writer Janice Bell (Jane Greer) in a New York City restaurant on Saturday afternoons where they enjoyed drinks together and conversations about their shared interest in boats. Their feelings for each other became a problem when Janice announced that she could no longer carry on their relationship in secret and so had arranged to be transferred to her magazine's Montreal office. Larry told her that his marriage had become dysfunctional and that he intended to divorce Gretta. The couple then agreed to meet that evening to catch the night train to Montreal.
Back home when Larry was packing his case, Gretta told him that she was aware that he hadn't been happy for some time and so had purchased a partnership for him in a Los Angeles investment brokerage and had rented a house for them in Beverly Hills. Larry, who'd married his wife for her money and social standing, found this prospect too good to refuse and so simply stood Janice up and moved to California. There, in his new job, a secretary called Verna Carlson caught his eye and soon they started an affair but when Gretta found out, she reacted by selling her share in the brokerage and allowed Larry to decide if he wanted to move with her to a mountain ranch that she'd purchased . Again, he followed the money but soon felt trapped living in such a remote location without even a telephone to enable him to keep contact with the outside world and so, when he got an opportunity, he contacted Verna and rekindled their relationship.
In court, Larry then goes on to describe in detail how this decision led to the deaths of both Verna and Gretta and to him facing a murder charge.
As Larry's story is told, it becomes clear that he's a parasitic playboy with no integrity, work-ethic or concern for anyone else but himself. Furthermore, he's a serial adulterer who has no qualms about planning to relieve his wife of the money from her bank account or planning to murder her. Strangely, for someone with so many reprehensible qualities, he's portrayed in this movie as an affable and rather friendly guy who doesn't suffer any kind of regrets or pangs of conscience about his behaviour until he winds up in court. Robert Young's marvellous portrayal of this character makes him surprisingly sympathetic and as a result adds an extra layer of enjoyment to this superb movie. The supporting cast also provide good performances with Rita Johnson, Jane Greer and Susan Hayward all perfect in their important roles.
"They Won't Believe Me" is visually strong with some high-angle camera shots and expressionistic cinematography which contribute strongly to its atmosphere. Its strongest features however, are its plot and its sharply written script which brings the action to life so effectively.