The Whole Truth (1958)

The Whole Truth demonstrates that it's a lot harder to make a really good mystery flick than it might seem. On the surface, Truth has everything going for it. It has a nicely complex plot that throws in marital infidelity and revenge along with the expected murder. It has some far-off settings. It has George Sanders, the screen's ultimate symbol of urbanely suave menace, who can also easily pull off heroics when called upon, as well as the dependable Stewart Granger and the appealing Donna Reed. It even has a lesser-known actress ($Gianna Maria Canale) to add a bit of spicy intrigue. Unfortunately, these ingredients simply don't come together. The plot becomes convoluted and too often is simply incredible, and Jonathan Latimer doesn't provide either enough memorable dialogue nor well-delineated characters to make up for this defect. The cast members are good, but the 3 "known" quantities are all operating at less than their top; Canaleactually comes off best, perhaps because the viewer is less acquainted with her and so doesn't expect as much. A really great directing job might have pulled everything together, but John Guillermin's is routine rather than innovative. Truth is not a terrible film; it's just not a very good one. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide