The Stranger (1946)

A government agent (Edward G. Robinson) on a war crimes commission arranges for the release of a Nazi criminal (Konstantin Shayne) in the hopes he will lead them to bigger fish. Namely, a Nazi war criminal (Orson Welles, who also directed) now living under an assumed identity in a quiet Connecticut town. This was Welles' most commercial film and indeed, reputedly the only film he made which showed a profit at the box office in its original release. While many are too quick to dismiss it as a "director for hire" project because it isn't one of his personal films, in actuality he had some control over the project. It's rather a good taut noir-ish thriller. It was the first Hollywood film to actually show footage of the concentration camp atrocities. The great Russell Metty, who would later shoot Welles' TOUCH OF EVIL, creates a distinctive mood with his striking B&W imagery. The movie also contains one of Loretta Young's most effective later performances as Welles' duped bride, she does a neat job of balancing sincerity and repressed hysteria. With Richard Long and Billy House.