As the popularity of film noir has grown over the years, formerly obscure films from 1940s and early 1950s have become the subject of heavy critical praise. As with Out of the Past (1947) and Force of Evil (1948), In a Lonely Place falls into this category.
Typically, these are Hollywood productions, filmed in black and white. They star a laconic anti-hero, with a background in crime, who romances women who are either femme fatales or perfect innocents.
Some of these films are great, of course, especially The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Double Indemnity (1944). But with lesser films, sometimes the fascination with the genre has prevented an objective study of the film itself.
But In a Lonely Place is a little different than the usual film noir. Not in the casting of Bogart in the lead, as he is the genre's most famous actor. But his character is not a career criminal, although he is suspected of (and certainly has on occasion committed) criminal acts.
Dixon Steele (Humphrey Bogart) is a screenwriter plagued by depression and a sudden, violent temper. Nevertheless, his long time friend and agent Lippman (Art Smith) has managed to find him a job, adapting a trashy but popular romance novel into a screenplay.
While at a nightclub, Steele learns that the hatcheck girl (Martha Stewart, no relation) has read the novel. Since Steele hasn't, and doesn't want to, he invites the attractive young woman to his apartment, to summarize the story. But when she turns up murdered the next morning, Steele becomes the prime suspect of police captain Lochner (Carl Benton Reid) and his assistant Nicolai (Frank Lovejoy).
Fortunately, Steele has an alibi. A beautiful neighbor, Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame) saw the woman leaving his apartment alone. Steele is so grateful to Gray that he predictably begins a relationship with her. But their newfound love is troubled by the murder investigation, and Steele's hair-trigger temper.
At the time of production, Grahame was the wife of director Ray. They would be divorced in 1952. Some pundits have drawn parallels between Grahame's onscreen and offscreen romances, even having Bogart playing a surrogate of Ray. This comparison would hold up better had Ray also written the screenplay, which in turn was based on a book by Edmund H. North.
In a Lonely Place is well cast, with Bogart and gorgeous Grahame in the leads. But it doesn't make for a pleasant viewing experience. It is difficult to sympathize with Steele, since his rage is nearly murderous, and he will turn on even his friends. If he was a dog, he would have to be left on a chain in the backyard. The score is also very distracting. In every scene with Bogart and Grahame, the syrupy music swells.
As usual, it is the script that determines the film's quality. If you look for deep meaning in the ironic remarks between the romantic leads, you will probably find it. But, that doesn't mean its really there.
Is true love represented by Bogart fixing a grapefruit for Grahame? Or is the scene just a brief respite from his increasing, brooding suspicions? Was their romance the love of a lifetime, threatened by paranoia and temper? Or was it simply a screenplay collaboration. Maybe Steele didn't murder the hatcheck girl. But if she had said the wrong thing, perhaps he would have. (53/100)
Just when hotheaded Hollywood screenwriter Dixon Steele Humphrey Bogart begins a romance with his neighbor Laurel Gloria Graham the police begin to su...More at Family Video
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