Art Smith, Carl Benton Reid, Frank Lovejoy

Screenwriter Dixon Steele, faced with the odious task of scripting a trashy bestseller, has hatcheck girl Mildred Atkinson tell him the story in her own words. Later that night, Mildred is murdered an...( read more  read more... )d Steele is a prime suspect. His record of belligerence when angry and his macabre sense of humor tell against him. Fortunately, lovely neighbor Laurel Gray gives him an alibi. Laurel proves to be just what Steele needs, and their friendship ripens into love. Will suspicion, doubt and Steele's inner demons come between them?

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88% liked it

1,134 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

27 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Nicholas Ray

Release Date: May 17, 1950

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DVD Release Date: March 18, 2003

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Stats: 316 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (316)


  • August 8, 2009
    Finally, a Gloria Grahame film in which she's NOT a promiscuous 'ho' (i.e. The Bad and the Beautiful, It's a Wonderful Life, Oklahoma!, etc., etc., etc...).
  • December 25, 2008
    happy birthday, bogie! :)
  • January 10, 2008
    A Hollywood screenwriter embarks on a relationship with actress Gloria Grahame with the shadow of a murder rap hanging over his head. Bogart is in full intense and paranoid mode for this one, rather than the usual in control tough guy we've become accustomed to, and Gloria Graham...( read more)e's part was actually written specifically for Lauren Bacall and I couldn't help thinking how much better she would have been. I personally was hoping for another Bogie film noir, and as the murder case seemed to recede into the distance (it is even solved off screen) so did my interest. I wanted tough crime drama and got romantic melodrama. Not only that, but in a story that was done so much better by Hitchcock in both Suspicion and Rebecca. Well written and acted, but I'll stick with Hitch.
  • December 24, 2007
    Another Masterpiece from Nicholas Ray
  • July 17, 2007
    verrrry good
  • October 31, 2009
    This noir is an interesting addition to Nicholas Ray's filmography, because of three notable exceptions. The first one has to do with the crime cliche plot, that's usually the standard at the core in any noir. However, here the story's heart is the relationship of the protagonist...( read more)s, and not so much the crime that's been committed. The second exception has to do with Bogart's character. Here is one of the few times in his career when he does not play the square guy, but a much more nuanced character, that's funny, violent, and (we suspect) deranged. Last but not least, Gloria Grahame is not a hooker or a slut (as she was later frequently typecast) but a real lady.

    As the story unfolds, and both of them hit it off, you come to care deeply about this couple, hoping desperately (as Bogart's agent often does in the film) that some transforming event will come that will spare them and allow their love to flourish and heal them both, even as the events unfolding before your own eyes tells you that they don't stand a chance.
  • September 6, 2009
    Tender romance blended seamlessly with noir-ish mystery. Great performance by Humphrey Bogart as an alcoholic screenwriter with violent tendencies.
  • August 27, 2009
    This is a film that wasn?t very famous when it came out, but its reputation has been growing in recent years, it?s a cult film of sort (which isn?t to say its some kind of weird radical work). This is a late entry to the film noir genre, and perhaps one of the best. I tend to l...( read more)ike noir best when it differs slightly from the conventions of pulp crime stories, so this is right up my alley. Humphrey Bogart is doing some of his best work here; he?s playing a dark and unstable character, something of an aberration for the time. At the same time there?s a twisted little love story carrying the whole thing. I?m not quite ready to call it a bonafide classic, but it?s a pretty solid effort.
  • July 27, 2009
    What could have been a formula-based film noir is instead a somber, unnerving character study featuring what is possibly Bogart's career-finest performance. This film identifies a side of Bogart that challenges him and surprises viewers, and the decision to cast him was a wise on...( read more)e. It's a tightly structured movie that provides ample amounts of emphasis on the mystery and romance at its foundation, while also infusing frank sexuality and violence. This is a movie with an edge, and the conclusion seals its greatness.
  • July 16, 2009
    À la fois la quintessence et l'aboutissement logique du film noir. Et un peu aussi la déconstruction du "mythe" Bogart, qui est poussé jusqu'à un extrême désagréable et qui finit par en prendre plein la gueule. Probablement l'une des meilleurs performances de l'acteur également. ...( read more)Disons qu'il pousse son jeu une coche au-dessus.

    La réalisation est extrêmement solide et l'ambiance est d'une efficacité difficile à surpasser. On est immergé littéralement dans ce qui prend au début des airs de thriller policier pour s'avérer être un drame à la profondeur surprenante. Je vous dirais d'oublier tous les préjugés et les lieux communs sur un film de Bogart. Celui-là est en béton.

Critic Reviews


July 15, 2009
Armond White, The New York Press

Nicholas Ray's 1950 film deserves to be better known; it's one of Hollywood's finest examinations of masculinity. full review

View more In a Lonely Place reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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  • The following is a quote from which classic film noir: "I was born the day I met you, lived awhile when you loved me, died a little when we broke apart."  Answer »

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