In a Lonely Place (1950)

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Dixon "Dix" Steele (Humphrey Bogart), a soldier turned screenwriter, is suspected of the murder of Mildred Atkinson (Martha Stewart -- no, not that Martha Stewart), a suspicion that seems borne out by his propensity for sudden acts of violence. He and his neighbour-cum-alibi Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame) fall in love, but can they survive his violence -- and her suspicion?

It's a brilliant deconstruction of the sardonic, hard-drinkin', hard-fightin' bad-boy figure so beloved of films noirs. Steele is driven by bitter loneliness -- a product, perhaps, of his obvious ego and sexism -- and out of control in his inability to express it. His relationship with Grey is both wonderful and harrowing to watch: it's like water to a man dying of thirst, but it's obvious to us that, no matter how frantically he clutches at it, it's not something he can hold on to.

The cinematography is gorgeous, and Nicholas Ray gets wonderful performances from his leads; the only weak point in the cast is the nigh-superfluous Robert Warwick, included only at Bogart's request, though his presence does serve to strengthen Steele's character. A few other issues keep the film from greatness, such as the confused shift in focus from Steele to Grey halfway through and the horribly clunky "born when she kissed me" line.

Ray deserves tremendous credit for his change to the film's ending, making it less neat and much less trite. Definitely worth seeing.

- Sam - 2007-09-11 08:39:19