whirlpool be a tale of kleptomania and hypnotherapy and murder in which the considerable talent of director otto preminger and ben hecht ( who co write the screenplay with andrew solt ) be harness effectively to produce a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable off beat thriller . gene tierney star a ann sutton and the affluent and respectable wife of an eminent psychoanalyst and who find herself in a fix when she catch shoplift . fortunately and her embarrassment and likely prosecution be avoid by the timely intervention of another customer and david korvo ( jose ferrer ) . korvo be a psychotherapist who convince the store management that ann be clearly unwell and should and therefore and be release and especially a pursue the matter far would be likely to draw adverse publicity to the business . a ann be an account holder and the item of jewellery that she steal be return to her and simply charge to her account . ann relief be initially temper by the suspicion that korvo intend to blackmail her but when he disabuse her of that idea and gain her trust and she become a patient of his and he successfully treat her insomnia by use hypnotism before promise to give her treatment for her kleptomania . although her marriage to william ( richard conte ) be a happy one and she have never be able to admit her problem to him . it quickly become clear that the ultra smooth talk korvo be actually an unscrupulous con man who have design on ann and her money . however and when one of his ex victim ( who be coincidentally now one of dr sutton patient ) tell her what sort of man he be and she dismiss what be say and totally ignore the warning . later and the woman who give ann the warning be find murdered and all the evidence suggest that ann be the murderer . korvo be not implicate because he be undergo gall bladder surgery at the time of the murder and and eventually dr sutton and police lieutenant colton ( charles bickford ) work together to determine who be responsible for the murder . korvo slyness and deceit and manipulation be all wrap up in a cloak of smugness and unctuous charm and pseudo concern for his patient and ferrer display all these characteristic admirably . gene tierney expertly depict the range of emotion felt by her character who be superficially serene and sophisticated and confident but be actually torment by her internal struggle with a condition which be a powerful and malign force in her life and one which she be ashamed to admit and even to her husband . sadly and the well documented mental health problem that gene tierney endure in her own life and add an inescapable poignancy to the experience of see her excellent portrayal of character such a ann sutton and of course and ellen berent in leave her to heaven . standard and practice in psychiatry and psychotherapy have change considerably since whirlpool be make and anyone watch it now will need to make allowance for this and also suspend their disbelief at a couple of the plot more bizarre twist which come over as much less credible now than they may have seem at the time .