The Locket (1946)

We all know that many noir films have more than a hint of misogyny. Women are commonly depicted as deceptive, sneaky bastards whose angelic appearance makes men fall into their trap. In other words, women are seen as plotting spiders. In the cynical world of noir, men are rarely any better than their female companions, but it is mostly women who infect men with seeds of doubt, harden their heart - or drive men right over to the Dark Side. This is particularly true for John Brahm’s The Locket, which follows the formula step-by-step. There’s a femme fatal, and she is a cunning monster, a man-eating liar. Etc. The men in the movie are all naïve and clueless – until the woman's deceitful behavior make them paranoid or cynical. The Locket might be a lesser known noir film from the era of classic noir, but it is, regardless of its misogynistic tendencies, an entertaining movie. You have to see it for what it is; a trashy piece of pulp. Only adding to the feeling of excessive application of the noir blueprint, what we have here is a story told in triple flashback. Plus – it’s treatment of “psychoanalytic storytelling” is well … as over the top as you’d ever want it.All in all - The Locket excels in noir virtues: paranoia, cynicism and dark psychology.