Confidential Report (1955)

Year: 1955

IMDb Rating: 7.1/10

Genres: Drama, Crime, Film-Noir

Directors: Orson Welles

Cast: Akim Tamiroff, Mischa Auer, Paola Mori, Peter van Eyck, Robert Arden, Orson Welles, Patricia Medina, Michael Redgrave

From the lips of a dying man at a dimly-lit Italian dock, Guy Van Stratten, the disreputable American fortune hunter, receives invaluable information about the powerful financial titan, Gregory Arkadin. In high hopes that something good might come out of it, Guy finally approaches the cryptic multi-million tycoon, intent on exploiting him; instead, the ambitious opportunist finds himself mysteriously hired by Mr Arkadin, to reconstruct the history of his murky past before 1927. However, as the methodical detective scours the globe to put together the dangerously knotty puzzle, people end up dead, gradually closing in on Van Stratten, who now begins to shed light on this murderously difficult assignment. Are those cases linked together? In the end, has the reclusive magnate something to hide?

Mr. Arkadin (also released as Confidential Report) is a 1955 thriller film noir written, produced and directed by Orson Welles. It stars Welles, Robert Arden, Paola Mori, Michael Redgrave, Patricia Medina, Akim Tamiroff, Peter van Eyck, and Katina Paxinou. The film centers on an American smuggler (Arden) who is hired by a wealthy amnesiac, the titular Arkadin (Welles), to investigate his mysterious past. The screenplay was based on scripts Welles had originally co-authored for his radio drama series The Adventures of Harry Lime. A co-production of France, Spain, and Switzerland, it was shot in several locations throughout Western Europe. Like many of Welles' films, Mr. Arkadin had a difficult production and was released in several different versions. Critic Jonathan Rosenbaum identified at least seven different versions of the story. The film has been praised by directors like Christopher Nolan and Shinji Aoyama.

Claiming that he doesn’t know his own past, a rich man enlists an ex-con with an odd bit of detective work. Gregory Arkadin says he can’t remember anything before the late 1920s, and convict Guy Van Stratten is happy to take the job of exploring his new acquaintance’s life story. Guy’s research turns up stunning details about his employer’s past, and as his work seems linked to untimely deaths, the mystery surrounding Mr. Arkadin deepens.