darkpass

Ah, Bogart and Bacall. Frankly, I’ve always enjoyed watching them perform in films, but I don’t
understand the fascination with their combination. Maybe it’s because I’m not interested in off
screen relationships and behind the scenes gossip. The whole Spencer Tracy and Katharine
Hepburn legacy never added anything to their films for me either, so why should it be any different
with Bogie and Bacall?

Well, regardless of their marital status, Bogie and Bacall were great at trading lines and bantering
with wit and whimsy in films like “The Big Sleep” and “Key Largo.” But can anyone guess which
Bogie and Bacall film didn’t even show Bogart’s famous face for the first hour? Yeah, you guessed
it. This one.

“Dark Passage” tells the tale of an escaped convict who was imprisoned for murdering his wife, only
he swore he was innocent. Now on the lamb, Bogie is trying to find out who framed him, but his
escape has become a high profile news story and his familiar face is a liability. Unexpectedly, he
receives unsolicited help from Bacall, who has been following his plight since the trial and always
thought him not guilty.

Director Delmer Daves crafts a unique and off-putting visual experience with the first 45 minutes of
“Dark Passage.” Almost the entire first half of the film is shown through Bogart’s eyes, with the
camera acting as his point of view. To visually be in the head of the just-escaped convict adds to
the tension considerably. We see what he sees, we miss what he misses, and we can be startled
by exactly the same surprises. One of the more squirmy moments is when Bogart goes to a plastic
surgeon to get his face changed and the viewer literally sits down in the surgical chair with the hero
as a doctor hovers overhead with a towel and a razor.

In all honesty, aside from Bogie and Bacall, the performances aren’t that memorable. They are
adequate, certainly not inferior, but since the focus of the story lies with Bogart’s character,
everyone else takes a backseat on this one. Bogart doesn’t act like a slick escaped convict with all
the smooth talking and the answers to evade discovery. In this film, Bogart is a real average Joe
who gets nervous when questioned and can’t find an easy solution to attain his wanted exoneration.

The story is filled with some insane character twists, but unlike the convoluted plot of “The Big
Sleep,” this movie is thankfully straightforward for the most part. This is a great film noir with some
of the most interesting camerawork and cinematography of the period, a simple but solid story and
a great cast. "Dark Passage" is must-see cinema.