I always like watching actors playing against their typecast character, and watching Vincent Price in his pre-Dr. Phibes days is great. William Bendix and Ella Raines add to the spell of this story about a self-confident lawyer (Edmond O'Brien) who gets snookered by a murderous, sophisticated investment bad guy (Price). One minor problem: Would a man as astute as Andrew Colby fall for that trick with Charles: I mean, no ambulance, no oxygen and no blood transfusions, yet he falls for the lieutenant's little scheme? But a great film nonetheless.

The Web is directed by Michael Gordon and collectively written by William Bowers, Bertram Millhauser and Harry Kurnitz. It stars Edmond O'Brien, Ella Raines, William Bendix and Vincent Price. Music is by Hans J. Salter and cinematography by Irving Glassberg.A good and solid film noir from one of the golden years of the film making style. Plot pitches O'Brien as a small time lawyer, who after impressing crafty businessman Vincent Price with his commitment to his work, gets hired as a minder since Price is worried about an old associate who has apparently issued a death threat. Sure enough all is not as it seems and before long O'Brien finds himself under scrutiny for the death of the associate.The writing isn't great as per the twists and turns, they are all signposted and lit up in bold letters, yet this is a small complaint because the fun is in the characterisations and the scripted dialogue. O'Brien has the quips and bravado, Raines the sexy smoulder and Price the weasel machinations. Bendix as a good cop is a little too out in the periphery of things to truly impact on the narrative in the way his fans would like, but his scenes with O'Brien are a joy and sparkle with prickly sarcasm, while Gordon and Glassberg bring the film noir style via the requisite amount of shadow play and camera tilts (love those slats and balustrades).Nifty noir tech credits cosy up with a likable hero, a sassy femme, a slimy villain and big bad Billy Bendix = Score! 7/10

Edmond O'Brien who later starred in such noir classics as 711 Ocean Drive and DOA stars in this film with Vincent Price for Universal. The Web casts O'Brien as a young attorney and Price as a millionaire who is not above outright criminal activity as a way of supporting his lifestyle as we see.Sad to say the film while not bad in and of itself and its conclusion is quite interesting, it starts with one preposterous premise. O'Brien is rather brash and heavy handed and a bit stupid. Just what Price needs to slip into a neat frame. He hires and O'Brien accepts because business isn't too good a job as a bodyguard because an old business associate played by Fritz Leiber is threatening him.Sure enough Lieber shows up at Price's house and O'Brien shoots him to save Price. The police in the person of William Bendix aren't sure, but they can't prove anything. Later on Price commits another murder and this time he frames both O'Brien and his secretary Ella Raines for the crime. Quite The Web that O'Brien and now Raines are in, in this day we call it a jackpot.Granted I've known all kinds of lawyers including some of the stupidest people I've ever met. But I could never swallow a street smart guy like O'Brien being so easily manipulated. It prevents The Web from being a truly great noir film.

Despite some atmospherically dark camerawork in the midtown streets and cavernous brownstones, The Web keeps its tone on the lighter side. Set among Manhattan sophisticates, it gathers together Edmond O'Brien, Ella Raines, Vincent Price and William Bendix. That reads like a recipe for a succulent film noir; not quite that, The Web is noirish enough and satisfying.Rich and ruthless industrialist Price hires poor but honest lawyer O'Brien as his bodyguard. His first night on the job, O'Brien shoots and kills an intruder, an old associate of Price's just out of prison. The killing looks suspicious to a street-smart police detective (Bendix), who lacks the evidence to bring a charge. But when the murdered man's daughter tries to kill him in revenge, O'Brien starts to have second thoughts ("Was I set up?"); he also starts to have amorous thoughts about Price's Gal Friday (Raines).The performers redeem the run-of-the-mill material. Price reminds us what a smug villain he could be before horror movies snatched his soul. For once neither a dim-witted sidekick nor a brute, Bendix convinces us as a shrewd cop. Raines -- a star in two early Robert Siodmak noirs (Phantom Lady and Uncle Harry) -- leads us to wonder why her career never took flight; sleek, quick and smart, she's every bit as good as her contemporary Lauren Bacall. Only O'Brien fails to impress; he always plays O'Brien and works better co-starring than in the lead.Like The Crack-Up and The Unsuspected, TheWeb is a suspense thriller that happens to fall under the influence of the noir cycle that was reaching full speed in 1947. It's fun, but far from canonical.