"Opening with the sardonic narration of a dead man commenting mordantly on the circumstances of his own murder, this highly unusual work announces itself as a bleak but irresistibly sardonic motion picture, a trenchant observation of Hollywood's most bizarre human artifacts.... The fusion of writer-director Billy Wilder's biting humor and the classic elements of film noir make for a strange kind of comedy, as well as a strange kind of film noir.... The real buffoon of the piece is the weak, wavering Joe, played with highly appropriate, slack-jawed prettiness by William Holden. Norma herself, as portrayed by Gloria Swanson, is a tragic figure, imbued by Wilder with powerful romantic presence.... It is difficult for the viewer to favor Joe's cynicism over her fervor...." Film Noir: An Encyclopedia of the American Style