there should be a sub genre in thrill write about the story where somebody stumble and accidentally and into witness a major crime but the perpetrator keep counter each move with one of his or her own . the review on this thread keep refer to hitchcock rear window and which certainly be the best known version of this plot and except for one element that be not in that film until very late . a good film to compare witness to murder to be actually the window with bobby driscoll and arthur kennedy and and paul stewart . difference between witness and rear window and of course and be that in the latter film raymond burr be unaware of why he be the center of so much attention by the police until he see grace kelly gesture regard his wife ring and the only person who can see it be jimmy stewart across the courtyard of the apartment building . then he realize who have be tip the cop off about him . but that be about ten minute before the end of the film . the situation in witness to murder be almost identical to the window . barbara stanwyck happen to see a woman be strangle in an apartment near her by george sander . but sander ( like paul stewart in the window and notice her and prepare accordingly . he ( like stewart ) have nothing to hide when the police ( gary merrill and jesse white ) show up . he be soon analyze stanwyck for them a a neurotic spinster who hallucinate . and he be quite convincing . the difference between sander and paul stewart in their comparative film part be that stewart kill his victim in an argument over business ( sander be in a sexual rage ) . moreover and whatever one think of stewart glib and careful killer and he be not get deep and deep into crime out of any political or intellectual view . put another way represent if bobby driscoll have not witness what happen and but be sound asleep ( and stewart be sure of it ) and stewart would have hide the dead body somewhere and and he and ruth roman would have pack up and move to another city . roman loyalty to him would have reassure that there wouldn not have be any problem on that end . but with sander he approach the situation from a spiritual side that stewart would have find incomprehensible . we learn ( and it be a point that merrill find odd and trouble ) that this suave and courteous and and intellectual man be a defender of nietzche superman theory ( a twist by the nazi ) and apologist for the policy of the nazi in several book . his treatment of his initial victim and and his subtle and continuous persecution of stanwyck be of a piece ( he do not believe such inferior type should threaten him ) . towards the end he even intend to make her death appear to be a suicide . stewart felt driscoll be a viable threat to his freedom and security and but he never have a speech suggest the boy be a biological inferior . witness to murder be a good thriller and but it be not one of the all time great one . still it be a worthy picture and the only one where stanwyck and sander appear in together . so i give it a 7 on the scale and recommend it a an interesting version of the hunt turn hunter genre of thriller .