Grade: C
Synopsis: A San Francisco artist (Lauren Bacall) hides a fugitive (Humphrey Bogart) recovering from plastic surgery.
Dark Passage is a somewhat problematic movie made passable by its two leads, despite Humphrey Bogart not appearing on camera until the halfway point.
For the film’s first half, Director Delmer Daves employs the novel technique of shooting from Bogart’s point-of-view in order to keep Bogart’s face off-screen, as Bogart’s character is supposed to look like another man later in the film.
Unfortunately, there are two problems with this approach. The first is that Bogart’s voice. It’s so distinct and unique, that it’s impossible to picture it coming out of anyone else’s mouth, consequently when Bogart does make his appearance there’s no real sense of change.
Which leads us into problem number two. While director Daves shows us pictures Bogart’s character pre-surgery, they fail to provide the viewer with any real sense of how much the character changed. When Bogart catches a suspicious glance from strangers, the audience has no relatable sense of how much his face resembles its former self.
Adding to these problems is a rather ludicrous plot that becomes almost comical by the end. Just what was Bogie hoping to accomplish by going to Agnes Morrehead’s apartment? And wasn’t her reaction a bit over the top?
Despite these problems, Dark Passage remains entertaining due to the chemistry and charisma between Bogart and Bacall. They’re simply a joy to watch on screen, and easily help the audience overlook the film’s shortcomings.
Bottom Line: Despite a novel, but ineffective, first half and an unintentionally comical third act, Bogart and Bacall make this one enjoyable.
