\u201cIn a Lonely Place\u201d is a less well-known film in Humphrey Bogart\u2019s catalog but the plot and character combine to play very well to Bogart\u2019s strengths.\u00a0 In the story Bogart is a Hollywood screen writer named Dixon \u201cDix\u201d Steele who has been down on his luck of late.\u00a0 And in the first scene we also discover that he has an explosive temper that easily leads him into physical altercations.\u00a0 Steele is at a restaurant where he meets up with some colleagues and other movie making types, producers, agents and actors.\u00a0 A producer who is somewhat obnoxious makes a crack about an alcoholic actor that happens to be Steele\u2019s friend and Dix physically assaults him and has to be restrained.\u00a0 During the evening we learn that Dix ix supposed to read a novel for his agent to see if it is suitable for a movie treatment.\u00a0 Because he is too tired and hung over, he asks the hat check girl, Mildred Atkinson, who has read the book to accompany him back to his apartment and recite a summary of the book for him.\u00a0 She agrees and we see her enthusiastically summarize the book to Dix who is obviously unimpressed with the plot.\u00a0 When she finishes, he explains that he is too tired to drive her home and gives her a generous amount of cash to catch a cab around the block on her own.\u00a0 At one point in the scene Dix is looking out the apartment window and he sees a woman standing on her balcony.\u00a0 The two of them stare at each other for an extended moment and Dix is obviously interested.\u00a0 The scene ends with Dix sending Mildred on her way and catching another look at the neighbor woman who is in the apartment courtyard.<\/p>\n
The next morning Dix is awakened by a ring at his doorbell.\u00a0 An old army pal of his Brub Nicolai is calling.\u00a0 Brub is now a police detective and his boss, Capt. Lochner, wants to talk to Dix.\u00a0 Dix had been Nicolai\u2019s commanding officer in WW II and their relationship is presented as casually friendly.\u00a0 At the police station Dix is unemotional and seemingly unconcerned to hear that Mildred was strangled to death after leaving his home the night before.\u00a0 Lochner is noticeably suspicious of Steele\u2019s seemingly callous disregard for the girl\u2019s murder but when the neighbor woman who had shared the glances with Dix the night before, Laurel Gray, comes into the police station and in front of Dix confirms the fact that Mildred left Steele\u2019s apartment alone, the police let Dix go home.\u00a0 Interestingly on his way home Dix pays a florist to have two dozen white roses sent to Mildred Atkinson\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
The setup after this is two tracks.\u00a0 Dix and Laurel fall in love and we see the relationship vitalize Dix.\u00a0 Notably his screen writing work benefits enormously.\u00a0 He is happier than he has been in years.\u00a0 The other track is Capt. Lochner pursuing evidence of Steele\u2019s guilt in the Atkinson murder.\u00a0 He instructs Nicolai to socialize with Dix and Laurel.\u00a0 Nicolai and his wife invite them to dinner and go out on the town with the couple.\u00a0 These get togethers serve to only increase suspicion of Dix.\u00a0 He really does have a violent and slightly disturbed personality.\u00a0 And finally, Capt. Lochner calls Laurel in to discuss Steele\u2019s long and troubled history of violence.\u00a0 This plants the seeds of doubt about Dix deep into her mind.\u00a0 And it is the catalyst that eventually destroys her trust in him.\u00a0 When Dix and Laurel are at the Nicolais\u2019 home one night it comes out that Laurel had met with Capt. Lochner without telling Dix.\u00a0 Dix flies into a rage and storms away and Laurel barely catches up with him before he drives off into the night like a madman.\u00a0 Driving at seventy miles an hour around winding mountain roads he barely avoids numerous accidents but finally sideswipes a car at an intersection.\u00a0 The driver angrily insults him for damaging his car and Dix pummels him into unconsciousness on the side of the road.\u00a0 But when he is about to brain the helpless man with a large rock Laurel screams at him and brings him back to his senses.\u00a0 They drive off and Dix relates how he\u2019s been in a hundred fights like this.\u00a0 Laurel asks if that makes it better.\u00a0 He tries to justify himself based on the verbal taunt the other driver made.\u00a0 She reminds him that all the guy called him was a \u201cblind knuckle-headed squirrel.\u201d\u00a0 He becomes slightly contrite and lets her drive them home from there.\u00a0 The next day after reading of the attack in the newspaper Dix goes to the post office and sends three hundred dollars to his victim in the name of Joe Squirrel.<\/p>\n
But now Laurel is so shaken by the knowledge of Steele\u2019s murderous temper that she even doubts whether he is innocent of Mildred\u2019s murder.\u00a0 She cannot sleep and begins taking sleeping pills.\u00a0 Sensing that things are slipping away Dix tells Laurel that they are going to get engaged that day and married that night in Las Vegas.\u00a0 Too afraid to refuse him she agrees but secretly makes plans to run off on a flight to New York City.\u00a0 She confesses to Steele\u2019s agent Mel that she is leaving him.\u00a0 Mel tells her it will crush Dix and counsels her to give Dix a consolation victory by allowing Mel to have the script approved by the studio before she leaves him as this will soften the blow to his ego.\u00a0 This sets up a scene at the \u201cengagement party\u201d at their favorite restaurant where a call comes in from the studio revealing that Mel gave the script to the studio without Dix\u2019s permission.\u00a0 Dix slaps Mel viciously in the face breaking his glasses.\u00a0 Dix goes into the bathroom to apologize to Mel but by the time he returns to the table Laurel has fled.<\/p>\n
Dix confronts Laurel in her apartment and all his suspicions that she is leaving him are on display.\u00a0 She has taken off his engagement ring and is hiding her preparations to flee the state.\u00a0 Finally, a call from the travel agent reveals all and as she tries to placate him Dix grabs Laurel and starts to strangle her.\u00a0 But before it\u2019s too late he comes to his senses, lets her go and starts walking away.\u00a0 The phone rings again and it is Nicolai and Lochner calling to apologize to Dix and Laurel.\u00a0 Mildred Atkinson\u2019s boyfriend has confessed to her murder.\u00a0 Dix lifelessly passes the phone to a still visibly choked and groggy Laurel who listens to Lochner\u2019s apology with vacant eyes.\u00a0 She mentions before she hangs up that a day earlier this news would have meant a great deal more.\u00a0 The movie ends with Laurel watching from her open door as Dix walks dazedly away to his apartment.<\/p>\n
This movie comes at an interesting point in the transition from the studio system of the golden age of Hollywood to the aftermath with independent production companies struggling to get movies financed and made.\u00a0 Bogart\u2019s production company was able to capitalize on the talents of the actors, directors and production people available at that point to give the film the polished Hollywood look but he was stepping way from the safe plot devices and social conventions that wouldn\u2019t have allowed a big star like Bogart to steer so far onto the dark side.\u00a0 But this is what Bogart was looking for.\u00a0 Earlier in his career he could be the psychotic gangster but after Casablanca and The Big Sleep he would have to be at least nominally a good guy.\u00a0 This restriction to his choices was against his interests and so he sought out a film noir like this that gave the audience what they wanted.<\/p>\n
And it is very effective.\u00a0 Gloria Grahame as Laurel is very interesting to watch.\u00a0 She performs the varying stages of her relationship with Dix in a convincing and entertaining way.\u00a0 The supporting cast is good.\u00a0 But it is Bogart who performs the tour de force.\u00a0 He is given a very good script and he plays it to the hilt.\u00a0 There are nice little touches throughout the movie that actually endear Dix to the audience.\u00a0 He really is a very personable madman.\u00a0 All his friends really do like him even after he beats them up.\u00a0 Bogart\u2019s work in this film compares very favorably to any of his better known and critically praised roles.\u00a0 And the ending is wonderfully dissatisfying.\u00a0 If Bogart had been cleared a day earlier none of his crazed actions would have happened and Laurel never would have doubted his innocence or his sanity.\u00a0 At the same time we see that Steele is a dangerously violent man with the potential to kill in the heat of the moment.\u00a0 A very nice dilemma for the audience to digest.<\/p>\n
Highly recommended.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIn a Lonely Place\u201d is a less well-known film in Humphrey Bogart\u2019s catalog but the plot and character combine to play very well to Bogart\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,238,237],"tags":[192,1910,2688,1238,1562,191],"class_list":["post-12390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie-reviews","category-classic-movie-reviews","category-reviews","tag-bogart","tag-film-noir","tag-gloria-grahame","tag-hollywood-golden-era","tag-humphrey-bogart","tag-ocf-classic-movie-review"],"yoast_head":"\n