Dark Passage (1947)

My only interest in your head is how easy it'll crack open.", 15 February 2006

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall only made a handful of movies together. Three of these movies – The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, and Key Largo – are in that special class of films that I call great. Dark Passage, on the other hand, is merely a good movie. It's not great by any stretch of the imagination – just good. The story involves a man wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his wife and the woman who wants to help him prove his innocence after he escapes from jail. As you might expect, Bogart and Bacall have a very natural on screen chemistry. There's nothing fake here. The scenes in Dark Passage that feature both of them are some of the real highlights of the movie.

Unfortunately, their on screen time together is limited by the decision not to show Bogart for the first third of the movie. The whole concept of telling the story from the first person perspective until Bogart's character has plastic surgery is, at first, a novel idea that presents the opportunity for several unusual and innovative scenes. But I've always felt this goes on far too long. What starts as "novel" turns into "tiresome" before we finally get to see Bogart's mug.

Beyond Bogart and Bacall, there's quite a bit to enjoy in Dark Passage. The cinematography is nice, the San Francisco locations are interesting, and the dialogue is snappy. The supporting cast is more than adequate with Agnes Moorhead being the standout. Although her role is limited, she steals scene after scene from Bogart and Bacall – something that doesn't appear to have been an easy thing to do.

I suppose the biggest weakness I see in Dark Passage is the implausibility of certain plot elements. For example, when Bogart's character escapes from prison, he just happens to end up on the road that Bacall's character just happens to be driving on. She just happens to notice an abandoned car on the side road and just happens to recognize Bogart when she pulls her car over. Too many coincidences for my liking.

7/10