He did it? He did it not?

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
Director:Fritz Lang

Fritz Lang was already an established film-maker in the German movie scene, with his production of the most expensive and successful silent film 'Metropolis' in 1927. When Hitler's Minister of Propaganda, Josef Goebbels tried to rope him to produce anti-Semantic films and the increased hatred towards the Jews, he absconded to France then to the US. Even though his family was a Christian, his mother was born Jewish. This 1956 was Lang's last film.
Yet another is hanged for murder. Tom (Dana Andrews), an author and his future father in law, Spencer, a newspaper publisher both opponents of capital punishment, plan out a scheme to prove to the courts that they are sending too man to the electric chair based on circumstantial evidence.
When a nightclub is reported killed and the killer is at large, the duo seize their chance. They planted some evidence and led the police to arrest Tom. The scheme was a secret between these two men. Even, Tom's fiancée, Susan (Joan Fontaine) was in the dark about this. The plan was to tell the court the truth once the jury had liberated, all set with photos and all to show that it was all a set-up!
On the day when Spencer was bringing the relevant documents and pictures to the court, his car is hit by a on-coming truck. Spencer, the documents, pictures and Tom's release all burn to the ground.
Tom pleads innocence but without any proof, the jury passes a guilty verdict.

Plotting a scheme

No one believes Tom now, except for Susan. Just when all avenues seem to meet a dead-end, the bank safe deposit contents of Spencer showed some written evidence.
In the meantime, newer investigations revealed that the slain victim had a pseudonym.

But I did it for you, my love!

Just when preparations were in progress for Tom's pardon by the Governor of the state, during a cursory conversation with Susan, Tom mentioned the victim's original name when he was not supposed to know!
Put in a corner, Tom confesses that the victim was indeed was killed by him for they had married when they were teenagers and became clingy and refuse to divorce him for Tom to marry Susan!
The pardon is denied and Tom goes to the chair.
A film noir with a convoluted story from a man who essentially invented the genre - film noir. Nothing great but watchable. Some how, one has the feeling of not being drawn into the sorrows and dilemma of the characters.