Whirlpool is my fourth taste of classic director Otto Preminger, and the most disappointing. Films like Laura, Where the Sidewalk Ends and Anatomy of a Murder have given me a lot of confidence in the director, and this film just can't follow it. Whirlpool is often pigeon-holed with film noir, but actually it's more of a character-lead melodrama. The title is very apt, however, as Preminger spins a web of intrigue around the central character, and although the film never really gives you the impression that it's created a whirlpool - it often tries to. The plot takes its main basis from the practise of hypnosis, and it does feel a little odd that a completely serious film is taking its central plot idea from a rather strange idea. The plot follows a kleptomaniac who falls prey to a hypnotist after she is caught stealing from a shop. It's not long before she finds herself in the same room as a corpse of one of his previous patients, and before she realises it; she's the main subject of a murder investigation - and she's not even sure if she did it! <br /><br />Gene Tierney and Otto Preminger worked together on a few films, and the relationship seems to have been a mutually beneficial one. However, here she seems to have been cast on the grounds that she is Gene Tierney, as opposed to because she fits the role. Tierney is better in strong-willed roles that allow her to show her impressive screen persona. Although she shows some range here, the desperate, vulnerable character doesn't suit her very well; and her leading role in Whirlpool isn't one of her best. This is made up for by José Ferrer, who is great in the role of the central villain. His performance is understated and sinister, which gives his character a lot of believability. The central threesome is topped off by Richard Conte, who spends most his time chewing the scenery. The plotting lets this film down, as after a good opening half hour - the film descends into boredom as we try to discover who really was behind the killing, even though there only ever is one suspect. Whirlpool picks up again towards the end, but there's too much wrong with it for me to give it the same praise as Preminger's best films.