rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 1950
Directed by Nicholas Ray; produced by Robert Lord; screenplay by Andrew Solt
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy, Carl Benton Reid, Art Smith, Jeff Donnell, Martha Stewart
Humphrey Bogart is a very unpleasant man in 'In a Lonely Place'. It is kind of a relieve to see him this vulnerable, with almost every character around him stronger than he is, although they hardly realize that themselves. From start to finish rirector Nicholas Ray keeps the viewer in uncertainty whether Bogart has committed the crime he is being a suspect of. We feel the same as love interest Gloria Grahame, who at first is sure he could not have done it, but slowly grows doubts.
Bogart is Dixon Steele, a sometimes violent screenwriter. He has to adapt a book, but instead of reading it himself, he takes home a girl to explain the boko to him. She leaves his house, the next day she is found dead, thrown out of a moving car. His neighbour Laurel Gray (Grahame) gives him his alibi since she saw the girl leaving. Soon after Dixon and Laurel fall in love. People around Laurel warn her for Dixon's violent nature, but she is sure he could not have committed the murder. But then she witnesses his temper and along the audience she starts to doubt him.
Bogey's characters is almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When he is happy he really is the most cheerful man one has seen, but his dark episodes make you feel really uneasy, and admittedly, not many characters from the older films have had that effect on me. Marlon Brando's Stanley in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' is one I can think of. Grahame is a strong (and beautiful) presence and holds her own around Bogart. In supporting roles detectives played by Frank Lovejoy (a friend of Dixon) and Carl Benton Reid (as the captain) complicate issues.
It is not just Bogart's character that makes this a dark film. Shadows hanging over faces, especially at those disturbing moments, contribute to the feeling. It's amazing how Ray keeps this feeling up, all the way to the ending, which is a daring surprise. Films like this, especially when they come from the 1940s en 1950s are a rare treat. It is a welcome change to see a director taking risks like this. Putting an actor like Humphrey Bogart through this, and then never letting him off the hook.