Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All alone in a dark and sinister place, December 7, 2004
This film is among my favorite film noir now. What really made it for me is that it paints a lonely and shadowy emotional landscape and lets us know and attach ourselves to the characters; characters who aren't criminals or necessarily treacherous, but lonely, solitary people who live in a dark world. Essentially it's a character story, and this works so well with the noirish atmosphere. Happily for us, it achieves all this without being depressing, but entirely captivating and very intriguing.
The plot is fairly simple (well, considering its friends in the genre): an escaped convict tries to hide, has his face disfigured (into Humphrey Bogart, which is pretty funny when you think about it), and then tries to unearth some answers involving his past. During his journey Vincent (Bogart) meets up with these people who all have something in common that drives them, loneliness, and his relationships with them add a compelling depth and intensely personal nature to what could have been an average crime story. It drives the film with these instead of some labryinthian plot about a crime or a heist, although it must be said that the plot is still ridiculously exciting, and still contains loads of suspense and enough twists to keep any noir-phile captivated. San Francisco serves as the magnificent moody setting with Bogart running around the city trying to escape the cops and still take care of his own problems. His hide and seek game really grabs you, it's thrillingly done and they bring you right down into it. Bogart turns in a fine performance, playing a sympathetic character who isn't very streetwise and not much of a tough guy at all (there's one scene where he's on the verge of nausea while talking to a detective, it's a very convincing performance from Bogart). Lauren Bacall is solid in this, again fairly different from other characters she's played. My favorites would have to be Tom D'Andrea and Agnes Moorehead in two excellent supporting roles.
I think some people probably find the style used during the first half hour annoying or gimmicky, it's told from Vincent's point of view (for example you'll have Lauren Bacall looking right into the camera, etc) and his face not shown at all. I once saw a movie using the same style and I couldn't get used to it, but with this one because of the context, how well it's used, and the fact that they only use it for the first third of the film, I think it's actually a pretty effective style.
This is a fine, fine film and one worth watching even just for it's take on the noir genre. It's a palpable, atmopsheric journey into a dark crime ridden underworld and allows us to mingle with its lonely people.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"I'll make you look as if you've lived.", May 30, 2005
Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) has been convicted of murdering his wife; at the start of "Dark Passage," he's escaped from San Quentin and is on the run. He has no where to turn, no one to help him. However, he happens upon a helpful painter, Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall), and things start to look up for Parry. Before long, however, trouble comes knocking.
"Dark Passage" is solid crime noir: not quite the top of the genre, but very entertaining nevertheless. Seeing Bogart and Bacall together is always a joy, although "Dark Passage" is a somewhat odd pairing -- mostly because Bogart is not seen by the audience for the first half of the movie. The gimmick is that the movie is seen from his perspective until he undergoes plastic surgery, then the new Parry emerges as Bogart. The technique is a bit stagey and awkward at times, but the talented cast pulls it through. Bogart gives a good performance, although the majority of it is essentially voice-over, and Bacall is as beautiful as ever. The supporting cast is also solid, particularly Agnes Moorehead as the meddling Madge.
Based on the book by David Goodis ("Shoot the Piano Player), the plot is pretty unbelievable, but no more improbable than many other good noir films. The cinematography is quite nice and makes good use of the San Francisco setting. Overall, "Dark Passage" is great fun -- watch it, enjoy it, and forget about the glaring plot holes.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent -- 10 stars , October 12, 2004
This is one of my favorite movies and Humphrey Bogart is wonderful and so is Lauren Bacall. I take the video out many times and watch it and always enjoy it. The San Francisco backdrop, stylish photography and excellent performances make it a treat you won't forget.
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