In a Lonely Place (1950)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  verrrry good

• Graham J

  
  Bogart is frightening in Nicholas Ray's masterpiece.

• Reid V

  
  An indictment of Hollywood, a subversion of the romanticism associated with Hollywood, and the story of the plight of an aging writer who desires to remain true to himself and control his demons. Nicholas Ray's film is truly unlike most noirs I have ever seen. It features one of… More
  An indictment of Hollywood, a subversion of the romanticism associated with Hollywood, and the story of the plight of an aging writer who desires to remain true to himself and control his demons. Nicholas Ray's film is truly unlike most noirs I have ever seen. It features one of Bogart's best performances, and one of the best endings I could have imagined for a film such as this.

• Tsubaki S

  
  "The man i love has gotten into many bar fights, OH NOES! HE'S A SERIAL KILLER AND HE'S GOING TO KILL ME, OH MY GAAAAAAAAAWD"

• Stella D

  
  a very dark view of hollywood and the finest work of ray, bogart & gloria grahame. remarkable chemistry and self reflexive honesty rarely seen in tinseltown make it worthwhile viewing long after the central mystery is resolved. i don't want to spoil it for anyone but quite… More
  a very dark view of hollywood and the finest work of ray, bogart & gloria grahame. remarkable chemistry and self reflexive honesty rarely seen in tinseltown make it worthwhile viewing long after the central mystery is resolved. i don't want to spoil it for anyone but quite another ending was scripted, filmed and then scrapped by the director, who had the actors improvise the perfect-seeming ending we see today. serendipity

• Jim H

  
  A screenwriter, suspected of murder, falls for his neighbor, a witness who clears him of the crime. Now, with Bogie firmly entrenched as a screen legend, it is difficult to fully realize what a risky role this was for him at the time. The character Dixon Steele is remarkably dark… More
  A screenwriter, suspected of murder, falls for his neighbor, a witness who clears him of the crime. Now, with Bogie firmly entrenched as a screen legend, it is difficult to fully realize what a risky role this was for him at the time. The character Dixon Steele is remarkably dark with anger problems of which the film never exonerates him, and Bogie plays the part with courage and honesty. He's not just a venerable Hollywood personality; he's a really good actor. The film itself is also quite risky. The "lonely place" referenced in the title not only refers to the place where the hatcheck girl is killed but also to the creative space in which a writer works. And in Hollywood the writer's ability to control how his work is presented in quite limited, and it is in this place that the emasculation of Steele begins. Hollywood is not presented as a glamorous, glitzy place; rather, art suffers under the pressures of money-men and ego. However, I did think that the murder plot could have been better handled. By the end of the film we don't care who killed the girl, and if these plots could have been more seamlessly intertwined, then <i>In a Lonely Place</i> would be a true masterpiece.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Lessons of love in the hard way between an irascible and violent screenwriter, and his anguished soon to be wife. One of the most romantic and devastating noirs. It keeps memorable dialogue every two or three sentences.

• AJ V

  
  A really good crime drama about suspicion and doubt and wild romance. I really liked this movie.

• Nicki M

  
  Near perfect - I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. Even though it appears to be a murder story at the beginning, it definitely ends up being more about the two main characters to the point you don't even care at the end when you don't find out who the murderer… More
  Near perfect - I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. Even though it appears to be a murder story at the beginning, it definitely ends up being more about the two main characters to the point you don't even care at the end when you don't find out who the murderer was. I found Gloria Grahame totally compelling in this. Humphrey Bogart is also good, though pretty unlikeable, which I assume is intentional. One of the best old movies I have ever watched.

• Randy T

  
  Finally, a Gloria Grahame film in which she's NOT a promiscuous 'ho' (i.e. <i>The Bad and the Beautiful</i>, <i>It's a Wonderful Life</i>, <i>Oklahoma!</i>, etc., etc., etc...).

• Tim S

  
  Humphrey Bogart became an icon for his performances in films like Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, but I have only seen him in a couple of films. The first was The Treasure of Sierra Madre and now this. With both films, you get completely unique, but just as mesmerizing performances. In… More
  Humphrey Bogart became an icon for his performances in films like Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, but I have only seen him in a couple of films. The first was The Treasure of Sierra Madre and now this. With both films, you get completely unique, but just as mesmerizing performances. In this film, he keeps you guessing until the end whether or not he is the killer in question. It's a tricky role but Bogart plays it beautifully. The other thing I loved about this movie was the writing. It seemed like every line was perfectly crafted and it suits the film considering it's about a writer. The ending is great and really quite sad after thinking about it for awhile. I know he will always be known for that infamous line, but I am glad I met Bogey in films like these. It makes me appreciate him more.

• xGary X

  
  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… More
  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 Grahame'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.

• Ken S

  
  Another Masterpiece from Nicholas Ray

• jay n

  
  good but with an extremely dark outlook

• Michael G

  
  Just see it.

• George M

  
  Superb!!! Noir melodrama of the highest rank!

• Mike T

  
  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… More
  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 one. 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.

• Juli R

  
  This is a love story disguised as noir. It's about two people who love each other in spite of everything. Humphrey Bogart is at his best playing a conflicted character, a washed-up screenwriter who is an alcoholic. There are echoes of Casablanca in this character. Gloria Grahame… More
  This is a love story disguised as noir. It's about two people who love each other in spite of everything. Humphrey Bogart is at his best playing a conflicted character, a washed-up screenwriter who is an alcoholic. There are echoes of Casablanca in this character. Gloria Grahame (It's a Wonderful Life) has been around the block and should know better than to get involved with a wounded man. But after meeting, their feelings ignite. They are giddy with happiness, but they remain separate. They are just unable to find a way to be together.

• Anastasia B

  
  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… More
  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 protagonists, 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.

• MJS M

  
  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 like… More
  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 like 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.

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