The White Orchid

Already the title of the movie conveys that this is going to be a noir experience, and while the beginning seems a little inauspicious in that regard, setting us up with a mousy-looking female protagonist instead of a weary and cynical male one, as is usual for this kind of genre, it does pay off as the character undergoes an unexpected arc and the movie's intrigues get more perplexing.

The cinematography and acting is pretty solid, but not outstanding. I liked the music, and the story was not bad, even if it got quite a bit far-fetched toward the end.

My main points of criticism are that the transition from the nerdy investigator to bombshell blonde was somehow not truly convincing, and that the protagonist and especially villain's actions toward the end seemed rather preposterous. In fact, the self-congratulatory tone of the exchanges between them at the end turned me a bit off.

In addition, due to the similarity of this movie's title with the erotic film "Wild Orchid", it sets up audience expectations for steamy love scenes, of which there is just one, and by erotic film standards it is more on the tame side.

All in all, not a bad diversion, but it could have been better.

The story has potential. The main character "shy investigator" is not credible at all as an investigator. The loud exhaling she does is just plain bad and annoying.

Don't waste your time - not a worthwhile movie.

I can not figure out how this poor attempt at a "film noir" got such a high rating. It is short (1 hr 52 min) and wanders around at the beginning then rushes the ending with what the author must have thought was a plot twist. It is so rushed it leaves loose ends laying around.

The lack of a plot leaves me to believe that it was either the first attempt at a film or was on such a low budget the production could figure how to tie off the various open ends. The climax is so poorly constructed and rushed it doesn't answer what happened.

I started watching it because I went to Cal Poly; I wanted to turn it off after 20 minutes but my wife was doing the ironing and wanted to see if there were more shots of SLO,

White Orchid is a visually striking neo-noir that falls short of its potential. While the setup is intriguing, the story lacks complexity, with puzzle pieces fitting together too easily and a predictable resolution. The protagonist's transformation feels rushed and unearned, undermining the emotional weight of the narrative. Though the cinematography captures the noir aesthetic well, the lack of meaningful twists and moral ambiguity makes the film feel overly simplistic. Ultimately it's watchable but fails to leave a lasting impression. The film also overstretches the protagonists beauty focusing more on showcasing her body than meaningful dialogue.

This movie is a slow burn but clever. The acting was good, it's filmed well and if you can embrace the pace of it, it will hold your attention. The script needed a bit of work but it wasn't unbearable. I've seen where some folks didn't care for the way it ended but I liked it. I'd suggest it to my friends.