Review of In a Lonely Place (1950) by Kenji F — 06 Mar 2009
Absorbing, unsettling and overall underrated. Nicholas Ray's film at first seems like it's going to be a standard whodunit, but gradually its murder mystery takes a backseat to the emotionally and psychologically complex relationship between failed screenwriter Dixon (Humphrey Bogart at his best) and his next-door neighbor Laurel (Gloria Grahame at her most sensual).
He's wildly, sometimes violently temperamental, and she finds that both intoxicating and frightening. Dixon also has a palpable aloof streak, sometimes treating love and murder as something more out of a movie than as real---and that aloofness raises the suspicions of police detectives as they investigate the film's central murder.
Far from being a "mere" genre piece, "In a Lonely Place" is a rich, beautiful and endlessly fascinating work in its own right.
This review of In a Lonely Place (1950) was written by Kenji F on 06 Mar 2009.
In a Lonely Place has generally received very positive reviews.
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