This second viewing was of the newly restored version that debuted on TCM during their 2021 festival. It's 15 minutes longer and adds more character depth and detail to one of the most cleverly plotted noirs of its era.

(There's no way to indicate this but this viewing was the shorter cut, which I'd actually never seen. I didn't see MARGARET until it hit home video, at which point I watched the longer version. I didn't record my reactions at that time and it's been nearly ten years, but my guess is that I would've been at ****1/2 on the extended cut.)