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Catalog/Drama/This Side of the Law
This Side of the Law poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 58.1 / 100
1950·Drama / Film-Noir / Mystery·1h 14m

THIS SIDE OF THE LAW

“Trapped! Tricked! and Treacherous!”

A man - trapped in a cistern - reflects on the dark events that lead to his lonely entrapment. Told in flashback, we witness his chance encounter with a nefarious lawyer who persuades him to impersonate a wealthy man who went missing 7 years ago.

Above the Line
Richard L. Bare·DirectorRussell S. Hughes·ScreenplayRichard Sale·StoryCarl E. Guthrie·Director of PhotographyWilliam Lava·Original Music ComposerFrank Magee·Editor
Cast
Viveca Lindfors·Evelyn TaylorKent Smith·David CumminsJanis Paige·Nadine TaylorRobert Douglas·Philip CagleJohn Alvin·Calder TaylorMonte Blue·The SheriffFrances Morris·Miss RobertsNita Talbot·Miss GoffEdward Van Sloan·Judge (uncredited)
Full Crew
(14 credits)
Directing· 2
Richard L. Bare·DirectorElmer Decker·Assistant Director
Writing· 2
Richard Sale·StoryRussell S. Hughes·Screenplay
Camera· 1
Carl E. Guthrie·Director of Photography
Editing· 1
Frank Magee·Editor
Sound & Music· 3
William Lava·Original Music ComposerOliver S. Garretson·SoundCharles Maxwell·Orchestrator
Art & Design· 3
Hugh Reticker·Art DirectionPerc Westmore·Makeup ArtistGeorge James Hopkins·Set Decoration
Production· 2
Saul Elkins·ProducerDon Alvarado·Production Manager
By the Numbers
58.1
OF 100
Master Score
6.5
OF 10
IMDb
—
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind This Side of the Law's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#8A5C3D
#C19A79
#4F3423
Mood
Gritty, Serious, Dramatic
Composition
Centered
Era
1940s
Visual Style
Retro

“A sepia-toned movie poster features a man in a suit and tie, with a dirty face, looking directly forward. He is positioned in the lower two-thirds of the frame,”

crimedrama
Key Elements
SuitTie
Atmosphere
Gritty, Warm
Color Mood
Warm
Setting
Indoor
Design Score
7/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

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Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY RICHARD L. BARE

Every catalog entry where Richard L. Bare is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE DRAMA

Top-ranked films inside drama, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1950S

The best films of the 1950s, ranked across every available metric.

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View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
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