Review of Somewhere in the Night (1946) by Blake P — 17 Nov 2011

George Taylor (Hodiak) wakes up in an army hospital with no memory of his past. When he regains health, he looks at his personal belongings, and finds a scathing letter from a woman, and another letter signed by "Larry Cravat".

Determined to find out more about himself, Taylor travels to the city and meets lounge singer Christy Smith (Guild) and her friend Mel (Conte), and they both help him find out more. The deeper he gets into the maze however, Taylor finds that Cravat stole millions worth of cash a few years earlier, and murdered somebody to get it.

The thing is however, things are going to get worse ... Famed director Joseph L. Mankiewicz was just getting started in Hollywood in 1946, and "Somewhere in the Night" was his third film overall and his first film for 20th Century Fox.

Seeing the other two, I can say that "Somewhere in the Night" is by far my favorite. The main idea for the movie is definitely not at all original, but the plot twists and suspense make this B movie even more memorable than some of the A crime pictures.

The film is just filled to the brim with snappy dialogue, fun but heart-pounding suspense, and great performances to boot, especially from Nancy Guild (literally a one-contract actress) as the female lead, the tough as nails femme fatale Phyllis played by Woode, and Hodiak has gotta get chops for carrying a film so well for one of the few times he's ever had to.

Sure, "Somewhere in the Night" can be a bit predictable if you think about it too much, but if you just let yourself go into this top-notch thriller, you'll be in for a very special treat.

I'm not sure if I've seen such a good B-movie in a long time. Recommended.