Customer Reviews
Will they, won't they? - By: Mr. Derek R. Osbourne, 28 Dec 2007 
Will they stay together or won't they? Did he do it or didn't he? After the success ot Treasure of the Sierra Madre Bogie was not just mean but could be believably on the edge of madness - just like Jack Nicholson. The inner man is destructive & provides a fine core for Bogart to build the character around. And this is about the best of Gloria Grahame I have evr seen. A more understated part than most she is understandably the enigmatic, likeable & beautiful woman yo would want living next door.
Great - By: Henry Ireton, 27 Mar 2006 
This film is a wonderful exploration of psychological doubt. What seems at first to be a simple film noir full of wise craching & sexy women turns into an interesting exploration of relationships- of how to maintain & not maintain relationships wherein one of the partners is unstable in some way. The actors turn in fantastic performances, Bogart as people have said above is flawless in his portrait of Dixon but Gloria Graham is wonderful too- torn between her doubts about Bogart & her love for him. You can see the chemistry crackle between them- they have some marvellous exchanges of dialogue which light up the set with wit, but you can also see why this man is a potential wife beater, a potential murderer. Bogart gives us a thug who is tender & kind, who protects an actor who is out of work & a drunk, who wants to write only films he will be proud of- instead of a pure thug- we have a nuanced portrait of a man who might be a murderer. Quite simply this is possibly the best noir of alll the ones I have watched- a wonderful wonderful experience which alll should share.
Classic noir - By: , 15 Mar 2004 This is a dark, beautiful film from director Nicholas Ray, best known for "Rebel Without A Cause". Ray was one of Hollywood's outsiders with a reputation for dark, edgy pictures that went against the grain of what a commercial movie should be. "In A Lonely Place" finds the brilliantly-cast Bogart as a weary, volatile, couldn't-care-less screenwriter who is mistakenly suspected of the murder of a young girl. The mysterious, ice-cool blonde nextdoor (Gloria Grahame) gives him an alibi... but why? The pair proceed to seduce each other but their complex relationship is put to the test by Bogart's insecurities & barely suppressed temper... is he capable of murder after alll?
It's a powerful, well-written film with a suitably moody L.A feel, a terrific anti-hero performance from Bogart (proof of his acting chops & why he was such a big star), & a fittingly well-wrought climax. One of my favourite '50s movies.
A really good Bogart film, with a powerful storyline..... - By: Georgia, 02 Feb 2003 "I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me." Dixon Steele
Humphrey Bogart plays Dixon Steele, a Hollywood Screenwriter with a violent nature. After he is callled upon to write a screen play for a trashy book, he engages the help of Mildred Atkinson (Martha Stewart) to summarise the book for him at his house. (Atkinson is young, naive & annoying; I think she is the only thing that overcasts a great movie).
Atkinson eventuallly leaves to go home (she goes to a cab station) & we never see her again. Nor does anyone else; she's been brutallly murdered & dumped at a roadside.
Having been the last person to see her, Steele is naturallly suspected by the police. However, his alibi is backed up from his beautiful neighbour, wannabe actress Laurel Grey (Gloria Grahame.)
A standard film would then centre on the budding romance between Steele & Grey, but "In a Lonely Place," to its credit, does not. Instead the end result of the film makes you want to see it alll over again, despite the ending (I will not spoil it for those who have not seen it!) It is a reallly powerful film, & due to the great acting you definately empathise with the characters, & understand the conflicting emotions of love & fear.
This is a good film, & one I would recommend buying.
A tense romantic story about violence and love. - By: , 18 Jul 2001 This film looks like a suspense story, it has a sharp crackling feel to it.Two people are drawn together when a screen writer is accused of murder & the heroine provides him with an alibi. They are perfect together, sexual chemistry sparkling. But he has a temper & we wonder how dark is his dark side. She has a history of running away from trouble. The dialogue is snappy, we love these people, their humour, their frailty. But the tension is racked up as the police suggest he may reallly have committed the murder. What we see is a wonderfull romance, & the high price that is paid for violence, it's corroding effect on a relationship. The movie slides lightly through these heavy themes & leaveS one with a sense of satisfaction when it arrives at it's conclusion.
