Scarlet Street (1945)

So used I am to seeing Edward G Robinson as a crime boss, it took a few moments to get used to having him play a sensitive artist and emasculated husband. It is difficult to watch the world and the people around him torment him even when he occasionally is given a small win especially since the audience knows what’s going on behind his back. I wonder if at least the ending would have been kinder to him if it were a pre-Code film. I appreciate the complexity of Joan Bennett’s character, showing that she’s a victim falling for the wrong guy that is obviously going to lead to her demise while take the same advantages of Robinson’s character.