Solid, Middle Of The Road Noir

Dead Reckoning (1946) – When his best friend Johnny disappears rather than face receiving the Medal of Honor and then dies in a car crash, Captain “Rip” Murdock tries to find out why. His investigation will dive into a corrupt world and reveal dark secrets about his friend. More people will die and Murdock meets the beautiful woman at the center of his buddy’s story.

Directed by John Cromwell

Starring – Humphrey Bogart, Lizabeth Scott, William Prince

Why I Liked It – A solid, if unspectacular, noir mystery

I keep thinking that I’ve finally got a grip on Humphrey Bogart’s filmography, only to stumble into another title unknown to me. “Dead Reckoning” comes at a busy time in Bogart’s career. “The Maltese Falcon” and “Casablanca” pushed him into star territory, while “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and “Key Largo” are just around the corner. This movie is one of FOUR that came out in 1946 starring Bogart. Yet, his last acting credit would come just ten years later. Glancing through his IMDb listing, I see 85 acting credits, meaning there are a lot more out there for me to discover.

While I’m a big fan of Bogart’s, I’m not as big a fan of this movie. It’s a solid, middle of the road effort. Bogart is fine, but he’s working with an uninspiring script. It chugs along but never seems to reach terminal velocity. Meanwhile, there isn’t the chemistry between the two leads to light the fire needed for a top noir detective movie. Lizbeth Scott is fine, but the smoldering passion required never got lit for me. There’s a twist at the end that she needs to sell, and it felt fake. A movie like this can’t survive that absence at its heart. At the time of the filming, Scott was a rising star, compared by some to Bogart’s wife, Lauren Bacall. The comparison is ludicrous. Bacall could dominate the screen, a talent that doesn’t appear to be in Scott’s repertoire.

What does it leave us with? Bogart is comfortable as the battle-hardened veteran looking for truth and justice for his friend. He’s seen bad guys before. These are every bit as tough, and capable of putting him in a grave next to his friend. Rip isn’t immune to the charms of a beautiful woman who also mourns Johnny. The story twists and turns, forcing him into ever more desperate decisions. There’s plenty here to keep your attention, while never threatening to crack the list of Bogart’s best.

If you’re in a Bogart mood, you’ll do just fine, but don’t expect too much.

Rating – *** Worth A Look