Rating of
2.5/4
"Dark Passage" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/09/12
A man jailed for killing his wife escapes and with the aid of a beautiful well wisher attempts to reveal the truth behind her death. This film is mainly known for the first person gimmickry of the first half in which the action is seen from Bogart's point of view and for being the least of Bogart and Bacall's on screen pairings. The direction although gimmicky is actually quite a technical achievement and makes it feel quite contemporary still, and the whole film looks very, very nice, concealing Bogie's face in shadows and making excellent use of some great locations (surely Hitchcock had this film in mind when he made Vertigo). Unfortunately this gimmick causes other elements of the film to suffer; Bogie's on screen presence is sorely missed, and his wordless, bandaged face means that Bacall spends much of the time talking to herself. The chemistry of the stars and an intriguing mystery keeps it more than watchable however, and if the story had a satisfying resolution it could have been one of the greats. Unfortunately, it doesn't. Well worth watching for some nice performances and clever visuals, but its plot is lacking which relegates it to a comparatively minor star in the Film Noir firmament.
