after all and you do not go to an orson well movie to see a nice simple little plot and a burnishing of the image of a happy ever after star you go to see theatrically heighten character lock in conflict against colorful and unusual setting and light and score imaginatively and photograph bravely and and the whole thing pepper with unexpected detail of surprise that a wiser and duller director would either avoid or not think of in the first place a usual and as well a directing and welles write the script and he also play the hero a young irish seaman who have knock about the world and see it evil and but still retain his clear eyed trust in the goodness of others unfortunately for him and he repose this trust in rita hayworth and whose cool good look conceal a gloomy past and murderous inclination for the future she be marry without love and to an impotent and cripple advocate and act like a malevolent lizard by the brilliant everett sloane there be a youthful romanticism underlie it all and and this quality come into exuberant play in the lady from shanghai . before the inevitable happen and welles escape to a final triangular showdown in a hall of mirror and which have become one of the classic scene of the post war cinema welles do not miss a chance throughout the whole film to counterpoint the word and action with visual detail which enrich the texture and heighten the atmosphere his camera seem almost to caress rita hayworth a the sun play with her hair and her long limb while she playfully tease the young seaman into her web .