This picture telegraphs every pivotal point in the story, so much so that it ceases to be in the upper echelon of mystery stories or film noir movies. It has a lot to recommend it, including a first-rate cast and a good premise, but lacks suspense and tension - and it telegraphs the unsatisfactory ending. It is a transparent picture which holds your interest to a point.Sandra (Lucille Ball) and her friend Lucy (!) are taxi dancers. Lucy answers a personal ad in the paper, hoping for a better job and more money, but she is never seen again. It so happens there is a murderer loose in London, preying on single girls, and Sandra goes to Scotland Yard to report her friend missing. Chief Insp. Temple (Chas. Coburn) overhears her story and enlists her as a decoy in the case."Lured" is a showcase for Lucille Ball. Dressed up for a nightclub date, she is breathtaking and never looked better. She is the nominal star of the film, and she is good. She just lacks gravitas for such a role, which should have gone to the likes of Ann Sheridan or even one of the Lane sisters. I disagree with a previous reviewer in that I found precious little chemistry between George Sanders and Ms. Ball and their relationship seemed forced. But as mentioned, the support cast is a fascinating mix with Sanders, George Zucco and Boris Karloff. They do their best to bring some menace to a movie which wanders off point and with too many red herrings for a higher rating.

There are a few things here that may attract the casual Movie Viewer. The big and certainly eclectic Cast, the title, and those looking for vintage Film-Noir. They may find all but the latter. This is a scatterbrained affair that changes tone many times and its 107 Minute Running Time can seem like an eternity to some.Not without flashes of interest, like the First Act, a bizarre Cameo by Boris Karloff, and an almost mind-boggling way it goes about being true to its Mystery Premise and then abandoning it for syrupy Romance and Upper-Crust Pageantry, and then returning. There are many unnecessary diversions and it is frankly overfilled with fluff and is certainly not Film-Noir.Not a bad Movie, but a strange one, and as a whole it is weighted down with an overload of side steps, and pieces that don't fit comfortably together. Lucy Fans might want to take a peek but others are warned.

Set in London but mainly studio bound, this is a super outing from Douglas Sirk and although known as, Lured, here in the UK, the US title, Personal Column, seems more appropriate as the UK title does suggest the film is rather more hard edged than it is. But, never mind, Lucille Ball is excellent and we can see just what a loss to cinema she was when swallowed up by TV. Indeed all the cast a great, helped by the dialogue and plotting. George Sanders is his usual likable self but it is the Karloff cameo that shines and for me his surreal scene makes the film worth seeing on its own. Things could have been tightened in the middle when we almost forget there is a killer at all but things soon pick up and much fun is had by all.

In spite of some miscasting in key roles this mystery about a London serial killer never flags much in part to the energetic direction of Douglas Sirk. Sirk doesn't allow the viewer to rest a moment as he fills his scenes with sumptuous compositions of detail and action that give hint or distract from the murder trail. It is a work of superb craftsmanship and a very entertaining one at that.Sandra Carpenter (Lucille Ball) is a streetwise taxi dancer at a club in London whose co- worker and friend disappears raising suspicion she may be the latest victim of a well read serial killer partial to Baudelaire who enjoys taunting the police. She brings her concerns to police inspector Temple (Charles Coburn) who hires her on the spot to work undercover to trap the killer. She then gets involved with well known cad about town and prime suspect Robert Fleming (George Sanders) which totally confuses her handlers. Fleming is eventually charged with murder but Sandra remains torn.Lured is one suspenseful fun ride of a whodunnit with Sirk and top tier cinematographer William Daniels filling each scene with fluid, pertinent detail and camera movement that doesn't waste an inch of the frame. It does get convoluted in moments but even that can be rewarding as in the scene with Sandra believing she's luring the killer (a wonderful cameo by Boris Karloff) who instead turns out to be a demented eccentric into psycho drama. George Sanders as the rake is perfectly cast. Being one of the few actors capable of playing heel or hero convincingly he extends the guessing game. Cedric Hardwicke does exactly the opposite however with a tell tale staginess. It may be unfair to single out Lucille Ball as being miscast given the fact that their is no more famous a fictional character and actual person melding in entertainment history. What Daniels did for Garbo he does for Lucy (see) and she starts strong but then goes in and out with a wide eyed naive the rest of the way that doesn't fit a noir fatlale. Then again it may well have been Sirk's intention to give the film a lighthearted spirit while still making biting observations and giving a master class in mise en scene.